


From this day on (now and forever more)

by chanmosphere



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Sexual Content, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27805042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanmosphere/pseuds/chanmosphere
Summary: They met after a drunken night. Baekhyun never thought one single text message could change his life forever.(Nerdy rich boy, Baekhyun suddenly needs to live with this brat ordinary boy, Chanyeol because of an accident, a blessing accident that will change the rest of their lives.)
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 14
Kudos: 209
Collections: #𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕱𝖊𝖘𝖙𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎





	From this day on (now and forever more)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt number: BMF076/2020  
> Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol  
> Carrier: Baekhyun  
> Pregnancy: during/a bit of post pregnancy  
> Babies: One
> 
> This is the first time after so long that I write for a fest or a fic this long for that matter, so I hope I'm not so out of practice. I also would like to apologize to the prompter if I butchered the original idea, since I changed Chanyeol's personality, I hope this is not a problem and of course, I hope you like it.

Baekhyun knows one thing for sure: he's screwed.

Maybe he wouldn't be, if  _ they _ had been careful to actually think about what they were doing and not acting like two horny teenagers. But it was hard to analyze the situation with his boyfriend's hand inside his pants. 

_ Boyfriend _ . The word resonates weirdly in his head. First, because he never thought he would find someone who could actually like him, much less someone like  _ him.  _ And second, his father would never approve of such a thing. Not with him at least.

Now, Baekhyun likes to think he's a smart person. He  _ is  _ a smart person: he likes to collect information, observe and then act, but with him, Baekhyun feels the freedom to be himself; to, for once in his life, just let things be. With him, Baekhyun knows he's found the one person he's meant to spend the rest of his life with. Call him corny, but he might be  _ in love.  _

His life has always been boring, he has come to terms with that. Always excelling on his grades, going from one lesson to another: piano, violin, the cello and at some point of his young life, singing as well. Baekhyun is good at many things, because he is expected to be good. That's how his parents raised him, to always please and to always  _ learn _ . So he never imagined that his perfect life would take such an unexpected turn. 

It all started around seven months ago. Kyungsoo's birthday party was supposed to be just a gathering with his closest friends, but his older brother had different ideas and with their parents out of the country, he decided that just a gathering wasn't enough for his baby brother and had brought half of the senior population from the university.

_ "You only turn 20 once in your life!"  _ Kyungsoo's brother had yelled, standing on a table, beer in his hand and  _ some  _ girl by his side.

And well, Baekhyun was curious, being a freshman and wanting to blend in, he went around meeting people. Not something that his usual introvert would do, but a few bottles of beer and Minseok's secret concoction, helped him to get rid of his inhibitions. That's how they met. That's how Baekhyun ended up giving his phone number, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles to a complete stranger.

By the next day, he was so hungover he had puked all over Kyungsoo's mother's living room's expensive carpet and someone's shoes. He couldn't even remember what had gone down the night before, so when his phone vibrated inside his pocket and the message notification that would start it all popped up on the screen with a simple  _ "Hello" _ and an unknown number, Baekhyun couldn't help but wonder just  _ what  _ had he done. 

Three months later, he was saying  _ yes  _ to a boy for the first time in his life and then, four more months later, he was waking up one morning, cuddled up by a larger body and naked. He had been all of his first times: first date, first boyfriend, first hand holding, first kiss, first time having sex and now, according to the positive pregnancy test in his hands, also his first baby's daddy.

So in conclusion, Baekhyun  _ is _ screwed.

"How did this even happen?" Kyungsoo's eyes have grown impossibly large as he stares at the test, not even daring to blink.

"Do you really want me to explain  _ how  _ it happened?" Baekhyun asks, plainly.

"No! It was a rhetorical question." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "What I mean is how… you don't even have a boyfㅡ" he stops himself at the guilty look Baekhyun is giving him. "You do?!" Kyungsoo exclaims, too loud.

"Shut up! My parents can hear you!" Baekhyun grits his teeth.

"Oh come on, your house isㅡ nevermind." Kyungsoo shakes his head, not wanting to deviate from the main topic. "What the fuck, Baek? You have a boyfriend and you never told me? I'm your best friend!"

"I'm sorry, okay? We just didn't want anyone to find outㅡ"

"How long?" Kyungsoo cuts him off. "Who is it?"

"Four months." Baekhyun mumbles.

"Four months?!" 

"Would you stop yelling?" Baekhyun groans, hiding his face in his hands.

"I will if you tell me who the fuck you're dating!" Kyungsoo crosses his arms against his chest, feeling offended at his  _ best  _ friend's lack of trust. He's now demanding for an answer, Baekhyun knows that look in his eyes.

"ㅡeol." Baekhyun grumbles, looking away.

"Who?" Kyungsoo squints his eyes.

"ㅡyeol."

"Baek, I swear to God."

"Park Chanyeol!" Baekhyun exclaims, louder than intended. He immediately covers his mouth.

Kyungsoo's mouth hangs open. "Park  _ Droggo  _ Chanyeol? My brother's friend?" 

Baekhyun frowns. "He's not a drug addict. He just… drives a motorcycle and owns a workshop." He pouts now, his eyes moving down to his lap, where his fingers fidget with the hem of the oversized shirt he's wearing.

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, perfectly knowing that that particular piece of clothes does not belong to Baekhyun, but that's a conversation for another time.

"He… drives a motorcycle and owns a workshop." Kyungsoo repeats, unbelieving. "That's… a relief. I guess?"

"You have to promise me you won't tell anyone." Baekhyun begs.

"I won't, but… you have to tell Chanyeol at some point."

"I will. I just have to figure out how." Baekhyun sighs.

×××

Baekhyun can't concentrate. He can't seem to hit a single note on the piano and his instructor is starting to feel frustrated, Baekhyun can see it on the way the old man rubs his temples and sighs exaggeratedly. He's been feeling sicker the last few couple of days and the soreness on his body feels heavier each passing day. He feels too tired to even function properly.

It's been a month already and he hasn't been able to tell Chanyeol about their problem yet. He can't find the proper way to give him the news and he doesn't even know how his boyfriend is going to react. What if he doesn't want it? What if he leaves? What if they can't make it work? 

A lot of  _ what ifs  _ round Baekhyun's head. The anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen is killing him, but he knows Chanyeol deserves to know, even if he decides he doesn't want to take part in his life anymore. Baekhyun is sure that if he speaks with his parents, they will help him through this. Or at least he hopes.

When the tortureㅡ his piano lessons finally end and a very frustrated instructor leaves his house, Baekhyun finally allows himself to breath. He plops down on the couch, the house is silent and his parents are out to a party. His hand instinctively moves down to his stomach, pressing it over the flat belly.

Baekhyun sighs. "You think your daddy is gonna stay with us?" He asks, feeling stupid at first for not having anyone to  _ actually  _ listen to him. "I mean… this is something that could potentially ruin his life. Not that I'm saying you're a mistakeㅡ well, you kind of are. I'm sorry, baby." Baekhyun rubs his tummy. "But your daddy has a whole different life outside andㅡ"

"Baekhyunee?" The soft voice echoes in the empty house. Baekhyun freezes. "Who are you talking to, my boy?"

"Na-nana." Baekhyun shifts uncomfortably, rearranging his position. "No one. I was just… going over my notes from school." He smiles at the old woman approaching him.

"That's my boy." She ruffles his hair affectionately. "Are you hungry? I can make you something."

He thinks about it for a minute. He is hungry, but he also feels like throwing up. "Maybe something light? My stomach feels a little weird." 

"Nonsense. You're still growing and you need to eat well." His Nana says as she makes her way to the kitchen. "I'm going to make you some chicken noodles."

She's out to the kitchen. Baekhyun takes a moment to relax his body, his nana is very observant and she could notice how tense he is with just one look.

Baekhyun enters the kitchen silently, almost walking on the tip of his toes; maybe, if he's silent enough, he could take the service stairs and run to his room without being noticed. He  _ could,  _ but luck is not on his side lately.

"Sit and eat." His Nana commands without even turning around to see him.

"How did youㅡ"

"My sweet boy, I know you since you came out of your mom's belly, I could know it's you even with my eyes closed. And your socks squeak." She points at his feet.

Pouting, Baekhyun sits down on the stool. His nana serves him a steaming bowl of noodles with a side of rice and pickled seaweed. His stomach growls all of a sudden, it smells delicious, so he starts eating, savoring every spoon and every bite. Well, he really was hungry after all.

"Good?"

Baekhyun nods eagerly, cheeks stuffed with food and gives him a thumbs up. 

"Nana, did you know that noodles were actually made of bread dough at first?" Baekhyun speaks after a few minutes of eating in silence.

"Is that so?" She smiles, leaning over the kitchen island across Baekhyun.

Baekhyun hums. "And that there is a possibility that noodles were actually invented in the western side of the world and not in China like everyone thinks?*" He keeps munching. Baekhyun knows he's rambling a bunch of useless facts now, but he's feeling a little nervous the most he spends time in the kitchen with his Nana. She could ask anything at any time.

_ *You can google this. _

"My Baekhyunee is so smart." A fond smile curls up on her lips.

Baekhyun smiles too, putting in his mouth the last strands of noodles. He slurps the broth and then jumps down the stool.

"Thank you, Nana. It was delicious." He kisses her cheek with greasy lips and runs up the stairs to the safety of his room.

Baekhyun closes the door behind him and leans against it, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Is that my shirt?" Baekhyun's heart almost leaps out through his throat. He presses his body against the door and his eyes widen, startled.

"Holy shㅡ you can't scare me like that!" Baekhyun speaks through gritted teeth. Chanyeol is there, sitting on his desk chair, looking as handsome as ever. His blonde hair is messy and he's wearing a blue tank top, that watch on his wrist that Baekhyun somehow finds very,  _ very  _ attractive and skinny black jeans with his dirty combat boots.

"Well, I'm sorry." Chanyeol stands up, approaches him slowly. He's smiling that lopsided smile of his and his dimple is showing. If you ask Baekhyun, that cute dimple kills every attempt of him at looking tough. 

In the blink of an eye, he has Chanyeol's arms around his waist, pulling him closer and his lips on his, pressing on a soft kiss. Baekhyun closes his eyes, enjoying the moment and tasting the flavor of chocolate in his mouth.

"Did you eat chocolate?" Baekhyun pulls away to ask, licking his lips. 

Chanyeol hums, nodding. "You taste like chicken." He grins, but Baekhyun's face is unreadable, so maybe the chocolate wasn't a good idea. "Does it bother you? The… chocolate? I have gumㅡ"

"I like it." Baekhyun cuts him off by pulling him back into another kiss.

Chanyeol's grip on his waist tightens and so does Baekhyun's around his neck, forcing himself more on his toes. His boyfriend is tall, very tall and he always has a hard time reaching for him, but Baekhyun absolutely  _ loves it.  _

"I take that ramen was good?" Chanyeol teases, smiling before pecking Baekhyun's lips again and letting him go.

Baekhyun goes to close the window, it's cold outside and the last thing he wants is to catch a cold in his state. 

Chanyeol makes himself comfortable on his bed, leaning against the wall. Baekhyun notices a small, fresh scratch on his cheek, probably from the climbing he did to get in his room. Ever since they discovered that the ladder glued to the back wall of his room, put there for his mom's creepers to decorate the walls, was still useful and safe enough to hold Chanyeol's weight, he's been using it almost every night to meet Baekhyun without anyone knowing.

When Baekhyun approaches the bed and climbs up, Chanyeol opens his arms and legs to make space for his boyfriend, but Baekhyun sits in front of him instead, confusing Chanyeol.

He's been thinking… maybe it's time for Chanyeol to know that he'll be becoming a father. It's time for him to get this weight out of his chest. He's sure Chanyeol is going to understand why he didn't tell him before. Or so he hopes.

"B, everything okay?" Chanyeol raises an eyebrow.

Baekhyun sighs and looks down at his lap, the shirt he's wearing is indeed Chanyeol's and it's larger on him, almost like a dress and it gives him a sense of safety.

"Um… there's something I need to tell you, actually." Baekhyun mumbles.

"Okay…?" Chanyeol's tone is hesitant. "I'm kind of scared now." He tries to laugh, but a gasp comes out instead.

"I just… I just want you to know that if I didn't tell you before, was because I didn't know what to do myself. But nowㅡ"

"Baek, I'm starting to freak out. Spit it out." Chanyeol sits up straight, frowning.

"I… uh… fuck, this is hard." Baekhyun bites his lower lip. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow, Baekhyun never curses. "Okay, Iㅡ"

"Bㅡ"

"I'm pregnant." Baekhyun drops the bomb. Chanyeol seems to freeze, his eyes wide and lips pressed together. He's not moving, he's not even blinking and Baekhyun starts to panic, thinking he might have broken his boyfriend.

"You…" Chanyeol mumbles and it's barely audible. "Pregnant." Baekhyun nods once. "Pregnant?" He can almost see the smoke coming out of Chanyeol's ears as he tries understand what Baekhyun just told him. "You mean… a baby?" 

"Yeah…"

"For, uh… for how long have you known?" Chanyeol scratches the back of his head.

"A month."

"A month. And you never told me anything…"

"I know. I'm so sorry, Yeol. I just didn'tㅡ"

"Pregnant." Chanyeol repeats, he looks so out of himself, Baekhyun is starting to really worry.

"Yeol… are you okay?" Baekhyun approaches him slowly and carefully.

"I am. I just… okay. Are you for real?" Chanyeol is breathing through his nose, louder as he sits up straight, supporting his hands on the bed.

"Why would I joke with something like this?" Baekhyun frowns. "I  _ am  _ pregnant. And if you don't want to have this child with me, thenㅡ"

"Wait. Hold on a moment." Chanyeol shakes his head. "I never said that." 

"Then what… are you angry?" Baekhyun is now confused.

"To be honest, I don't know what I'm feeling right now. You're pregnant. With my child. I'm trying to process the info here." Chanyeol says, leaning back on the wall again, still dumbfounded. 

"Well, yes. I… am." 

"Well, fuck."

"But you know that recent studies say that 7.3 million boys and girls around the ages of 18 and 19 give birth every year?" Baekhyun explains, nervously, searching in his brain for a way to convince Chanyeol that this isn't really  _ that  _ bad. "I mean, we wouldn't be the firsts toㅡ"

"B, you know it turns me on when you get all smart on me, but right now my head is kinda fuzzy." Chanyeol puffs his cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Do you want some water? I'll bring you someㅡ"

"No." Chanyeol stops him. "Come here." He again opens his arms and legs for him; this time Baekhyun crawls and settles there, chest to back, letting Chanyeol squeeze him softly with his thighs and wrap his arms around his shoulders. "So… pregnant." He repeats for the hundred times, resting his chin on the top of Baekhyun's head.

Baekhyun hums. "A baby." He mumbles. "What are we going to do?"

"That's… a very good question." 

"Will you… leave?" Baekhyun asks the question he's had wandering in his head for a whole month.

It takes Chanyeol one second to answer. Second that feels like an eternity for Baekhyun. "No." Chanyeol finally says. "I… I took part in this too. We're gonna go through this. Bothㅡ well, the three of us." Baekhyun nods. "It's going to be hard."

"I know."

"We might fight."

"I know."

"And we might go through a living hellㅡ"

"Stop scaring me." Baekhyun pouts.

"I'm not trying to scare you, B. I'm just trying to be realistic." Chanyeol sighs. "Listen, if we're going to do this, I want you to promise me that from now on, you'll tell me everything, okay? What you want, how you feel. Promise?" He raises his hand, sticking his pinky out. Chanyeol knows how much a pinky promise means to Baekhyun.

"Okay, I promise." Baekhyun hooks his pinky on Chanyeol's and nods. 

Chanyeol wraps his whole hand around Baekhyun's and kisses the side of his head. He's scaredㅡ no, he's fucking  _ terrified.  _ What are they supposed to do with a child? Baekhyun is 19 and he's 21, they're still in school; they're not ready to have a baby. Chanyeol doesn't think his job is going to be enough to provide for the three of them. Having a baby is expensive nowadays.

Chanyeol's brain is going haywire, thinking about all the possibilities; he could have run away, leave Baekhyun to have the baby on his own. He knows his family would never leave him alone in this and they would have a better life, the one Baekhyun is used to; but he's no coward and he's definitely not an asshole. He loves Baekhyun and would never do that to him. Chanyeol would not be able to leave in peace with himself knowing he abandoned his own child.

It's going to be hard. On them, on their relationship, on their lives. But it's their responsibility and if he has to give up on everything to make it better for his family, so be it.

×××

Baekhyun is shaking, his hands are sweating and he feels like he's about to throw up. At this point, he might pass out there, in his living room. They're about to tell his parents about his pregnancy. Chanyeol is sitting next to him, holding his sweaty hand in a supportive manner; his boyfriend's presence is somehow calming, but is not enough. Baekhyun is scared of his father, more than he is of his mother. His father is a strict man, tough and headstrong. He's stubborn and things always have to go his way, so Baekhyun is terrified of what his reaction is going to be.

"Calm down, B." Chanyeol whispers in his ear.

"I'm sorry, I can'tㅡ"

"Everything is going to be okay, I'mㅡ"

"Shall we make this quick?" His father enters the living room. His mother is on his side. "We have a meeting to attend in 15 minutes."

Baekhyun stands up so fast he gets dizzy and stumbles. Chanyeol is quick to grab a hold of him and stop him from falling.

"Dadㅡ"

"Who is this… person?" His father turns his attention to Chanyeol, looking at him from head to toe with disgust.

Chanyeol decided that the best he could do was to dress a little less like himself and a little more… normal. It didn't sit well with Baekhyun, if he was going to meet his parents he needed to do it like  _ Chanyeol  _ and not pretending to be someone else, but his boyfriend insisted, to prevent more chaos than the one waiting for them ahead.

"He's… Chanyeol, dad. My boyfriend." Baekhyun answers the question with a low voice, not daring to look at the man.

"Your… boyfriend?" His father blinks and swallows. "Okay, is that all? We should go toㅡ"

"No, dad. That's not all." Something inside Baekhyun stirs, he needs his parents to listen to him, to not think about meetings or work, to just focus on  _ him.  _

"Son, we haveㅡ"

"Could you please listen? I'm trying to talk to you." He starts raising his voice.

"Baek." Chanyeol calls his name softly, squeezing his hand to calm him down. 

"No, he has to listen to me for at least once in his life!" Baekhyun is now angry and tired of being ignored by his father. 

"Baekhyun, don't talk to your father like that." His mother speaks now.

"Why? It's apparently the only way he would pay attention to me!" Baekhyun's breathing is starting to get labored. Chanyeol's hold on him is not enough to keep him grounded anymore.

"I will not allow you toㅡ"

"If you listened to me, you'd know by now that I'm fucking pregnant!" Baekhyun yells and suddenly, the living room is dead silent.

His mother is frozen in her spot, her eyes wide in horror and the next thing Baekhyun sees is Chanyeol on the floor, hand pressing against his lips. His father is raging, breathing heavily and he's about to jump at Chanyeol again, but this time Baekhyun gets in the middle, receiving the punch in the face that was supposed to be aimed at Chanyeol, twice as hard as the first one. His mother screams and Baekhyun falls to the floor, disorientated and confused for a second before everything turns black.

Baekhyun opens his eyes to the ceiling of his room, he quickly scrambles around the bed to get on his feet, but a hand stops him from moving. He blinks at the woman sitting next to him.

"N-nana?"

"Thank God you're awake." She lets out a sigh of relief.

"What happened? Howㅡ where is Chanyeol?" He looks around, desperate. "Whereㅡ?" Baekhyun tries to get up again.

"Easy, sweetheart.  _ Chanyeol _ is still in the living room. You've been sleeping for a couple of hours."

"What?" Baekhyun is confused.

"Your father punched you really hard." She says. "Chanyeol told us that you've been seeing a doctor, so we called her. She said you're okay and your body just needed some rest from so much stress."

"Nana…"

"I know, honey. Your mom is pretty upset and I don't even want to mention your father." 

"Are they going to… disown me? And he didn't even apologize. " Baekhyun frowns. 

His Nana chuckles. "I don't think so, but they are having a really serious conversation with that boyfriend of yours right now."

"I need to go downstairs." Baekhyun sits up, feeling a little less dizzy now.

"Okay, okay. I'll help you get there, but carefully." The woman helps Baekhyun put on his sleepers and out of his room. His whole body feels sore and every step he takes is painful.

They are silent when Baekhyun arrives. His mother and father are sitting on one couch and Chanyeol on the other, head down and hands clasped tightly together. Baekhyun is fearing the worst.

"Son, you're awake." 

At that Chanyeol snaps his head up and stands up, quickly reaching for Baekhyun to pull him into his arms.

"Finally, I was losing my mind over there. Are you okay?"

Baekhyun nods. "I'm okay." He hugs him back.

"Baekhyun, can you come over here? We have some things to discuss." His father says.

Baekhyun sighs and hides his face on Chanyeol's chest. "I don't want to." He mumbles.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll be with you." Baekhyun refuses to move. "B… come on, let's get this over with."

Finally, Baekhyun steps away, takes Chanyeol's hand and they walk together back to the living room. They sit on the same couch and Chanyeol makes sure to not let his hand go.

"First of all," his father starts "no grandchild of mine is going to be born out of wedlock. So you two are getting married." Baekhyun tenses and opens his mouth to speak, but Chanyeol gives him a nod and a small smile. "You are both going to live here and Chanyeol has agreed to take a job at the company." 

"What?" Baekhyun turns to Chanyeol, confused. "But, Yeol, the workshㅡ"

"It's okay, B." Chanyeol encourages him to keep listening to his father. 

"We're going to be taking care of every medical expenses and hospital bills, until you give birth. Clothes, baby food and every other thing the baby is going to need, will be up to Chanyeol."

"Dadㅡ"

"I don't want any complaints, Baekhyun. Be grateful that I'm not kicking you out." The man says as he stands up and leaves.

"Mom?" 

The woman sighs. "I'm sorry, baby. Your father is right, you have to learn toㅡ"

"Is not about me." He interrupts her. "It's about Chanyeol, you can't force him to do this. It's unfair."

"I  _ agreed  _ to do this, Baek. You don't have to worry about me." Chanyeol assures him.

"Everything is going to be fine, baby." His mother tells him. "Just be patient." She approaches them only to kiss his forehead, smiles at Chanyeol and then leave as well.

"Your mom said it was okay for me to stay with you tonight. You know… just in case." Chanyeol informs him once they're alone.

"Good, because we need to talk." Baekhyun gets on his feet and waits for Chanyeol to do the same.

They go upstairs to Baekhyun's room, Chanyeol walking behind him just in case anything happens. 

Inside the room, Baekhyun allowed himself to show his anger by grabbing a pillow from his bed and throwing it at his boyfriend.

"What the hell, B?!" Chanyeol is struck, holding the pillow against his chest.

"I can't believe you accepted all that crap from my father!" Baekhyun exclaims. "You can't just change your entire life because of this!" He throws his hands in the air and groans.

Chanyeol chuckles, approaching Baekhyun to wrap his arms around him. " _ This,  _ how you call it, it's our baby. I'm not giving up on anything, Baek." They move together so they can sit on the bed. "I'm just trying new things and once I have enough money saved up, I promise you we'll get our own place, just the three of us." 

Baekhyun sighs. "Were you serious? About marrying me?"

"Well, it wasn't on my short-term plans, but what difference does it make if it's with you." Chanyeol shrugs. "I want to."

"Don't say that just because you feel obligated to say it." Baekhyun puffs his cheeks.

"I'm not! I mean it!" Chanyeol lets himself fall back onto the mattress, spreading his arms and legs like a starfish. "Really, B. I mean it." He lets out a sigh.

"Yeah and since we both are balls deep in this situation." Baekhyun rolls his eyes as he climbs up the bed and makes himself some space next to Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow. "Since when do you curse this much?"

"Since I'm pregnant, stressed and permanently horny." Baekhyun replies, nuzzling his face on his boyfriend's side, taking Chanyeol by surprise, that's not something his nerd of a boyfriend would normally say.

"I think I can help with that." Chanyeol says with a teasing tone, fingers playing with the waistband of Baekhyun's sweatpants.

"If you'd be so kind." Baekhyun spreads his legs a little and closes his eyes. Chanyeol bites his lower lip and lets his right hand slip inside his boyfriend's pants, while Baekhyun's goes inside his.

Chanyeol lets out a silent sigh, a smile creeping up his lips. They could do this every night before going to sleep and he'll be very happy.

×××

Chanyeol has never been so nervous in his life before. Not when he was waiting for the results of his scholarship appliance, not when that nerdy boy approached him at that party that day and definitely not when he sent that first text message. Being honest, he never thought he would get an answer, but that's a story for another time.

Today, he is fucking nervous. So nervous he can feel his blood pooling in his brain, making his head throb; he's about to propose to Baekhyun and even though the answer is a given, his boyfriend is going to say yes; despite that, Chanyeol hopes Baekhyun's  _ yes  _ is because he wants to and not because his father imposed his will on him.

Chanyeol has had many relationships, boys and girls alike, but no one has made him feel the way Baekhyun does. Ever since the first time he approached him at the party, looking tiny and cozy with that big sweater on him, Chanyeol had been amazed by  _ all  _ of Baekhyun's self. If it had been someone else, Chanyeol wouldn't have doubted on taking them straight to bed or any place where they could get on it and not see them ever again. But something about the boy had stopped him, the only thought of him being hurt in any way didn't sit well at all. 

All Baekhyun wanted was to give him his phone number and Chanyeol, induced in some kind of spell, had accepted it, no questions asked. He will never forget the cute giggled that followed as Baekhyun handed him a piece of crumpled napkin with a series of numbers terribly doodled in it.

_ "You like 'em rich, huh?"  _ His best friend had teased him, breaking the hypnotic trance he was in watching the boy waddle his way away. He was way too drunk, that was more than obvious and a party like this for a person like him was danger. So Chanyeol took a last zip of his beer and ignoring his friends' questions about  _ where he was going _ , he spent the whole night hiding in the shadows, following the boy around to make sure no asshole would try to make an unwanted move on him. Up to today, Baekhyun still doesn't know that.

So yeah, being nervous when he's  _ this  _ smitten, must be totally normal. You don't ask the person you love to marry you everyday.

Baekhyun is in the kitchen, watching his Nana mix ingredients here and there, sticking his finger in everything he can for  _ quality tasting purposes.  _ Chanyeol can also hear him throwing random facts about the origins of spices and herbs; he lets out a silent laugh, loving that particular habit of Baekhyun of not being able to keep his brain at ease, ever.

"ㅡand turmeric isㅡ oh, hey!" Baekhyun stops himself when he sees him stepping into the kitchen, a bright smile appearing on his face as he jumps down the stool and approaches him, down for a kiss. "When did you get back?" 

"Just a few minutes ago." Chanyeol answers. He's been working on his workshop while he waits for Baekhyun's father to have everything ready for his new job. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good." Baekhyun shrugs. He's been clingier lately, sticking to Chanyeol like gum everytime he has the chance and having silent sex at night. Not that it bothers Chanyeol in the slightest, though. "Hmm…" Baekhyun is suddenly pressed to his neck. "You smell like sweat and manly andㅡ"

"Heh." With a nervous laugh and clearing his throat, he pushes Baekhyun away softly, knowing what the younger is trying to do. Baekhyun is pouting, lips pursed evidently and brows furrowed. "Not now, B." Chanyeol speaks on his ear with gritted teeth. 

Chanyeol is right, his Nana is present, but lately, his hormones have been raging. Making him act like a horny high schooler all day. He's needy all the time, of love, affection and Chanyeol's dick. So when his boyfriend's not home, Baekhyun has to make use of what he has to help himself out.

"How was the workshop?" Baekhyun asks, feeling defeated and just letting Chanyeol wrap his arms around his waist, placing his hands over his stomach. He's not showing yet, if anything, a barely visible, miniature, almost nothing, little bump that Chanyeol likes to poke at night.

Chanyeol hums and shrugs. "You know… nothing interesting. Was pretty empty almost all day. But um… B, there's something I need to tell you. Well, ask you." 

"What?" Baekhyun turns around, eyes wide in horror. "Are you leaving us?" He jumps away from Chanyeol.

"No, Iㅡ"

"Oh my God, you are!" Baekhyun starts breathing faster, he has to lean against the kitchen island, fanning himself with his hand. His Nana rushes to his side. "You changed your mind. Oh God." He's hyperventilating.

"No, Baek, Iㅡ"

"I knew it! Iㅡ"

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol exclaims, managing to shut Baekhyun up. The younger's eyes are comically open, almost out of orbit. "I'm not leaving you, B." He says, calmer. "I wanted to give you something."

"O-oh." Baekhyun sniffles and snickers nervously.

"Well um… I know your father said we have to get married and like I told you before, it makes me happy that is you. And so I wanted to make this right and it's probably not what you expected," Chanyeol explains rushedly, pulling out of his pocket a small box "but I promise you I will buy you a  _ real  _ ring someday." He opens the box, showing the silver band inside it. "Marry me?" Chanyeol asks.

Baekhyun stands there, in shock, mouth hanging open and eyes moving from Chanyeol's face to the box in his hands. Chanyeol is getting more nervous as the seconds pass by. What if Baekhyun doesn't like it? What if he laughs at his attempts of being romantic? He knew it was a stupid idea, he should have waited to have enough money to buy an actual diamond ring, worthy of Baekhyun.

Just when he's about to give up and close the box, ready to disappear until his embarrassment wears off, Baekhyun jumps at him and he has to be quick to catch him by the waist, but as quickly as it comes, Baekhyun ia away again. The younger is cryingㅡ no, he's  _ bellowing _ and Chanyeol is so confused.

"Uh… B?" 

"What is that?!" Baekhyun yells.

"A… ring?" Chanyeol is now  _ definitely  _ confused, looking at the box still opened in his hands.

"Give me that!" Baekhyun snatches the box, takes the ring and puts it in his finger. "Yes!" He squeals loudly, raising his hand to admire his new ring. "Nana! Look!" 

The old woman takes a closer look and hums. "Is that aㅡ"

"A car nut." Chanyeol nods.

"A car nut?" Baekhyun turns to look at him, eyebrows raised.

"You know how Junmyeon's dad owns a jewelry shop? Well, I asked him if it was possible to turn a nut into a ring and he said yes. Those are not real diamonds, though, butㅡ"

"I love it, Yeol." Baekhyun's smile is so bright, it makes Chanyeol's heart swell with happiness. "It's so pretty." He wiggles his fingers, amazed at how the stones shine with the kitchen lights.

"R-really?" Chanyeol rubs the back of his neck. "I mean, I know is not much, but one dayㅡ"

"Shut up, I want to keep this one forever." Baekhyun is still looking at the ring. 

"O-okay." It's all Chanyeol can say as he nods his head over and over. All the fears he had minutes ago are gone, replaced by a burning happiness and pride. "C'mere." He grabs Baekhyun by the hand and pulls him in for a series of wet and loud smooches. "I love you."

"You'reㅡ  _ drooling _ me!" Baekhyun complaints, but he doesn't do anything to stop Chanyeol and he doesn't step away either, loving the attention.

"So much." Chanyeol continues.

"Do you have any idea of how manyㅡ ugh, germs are in your mouth?!" Baekhyun scrunches his face. 

"I don't hear you complaining when Iㅡ"

"Nana!" Baekhyun finally steps away. Chanyeol is an  _ ass.  _ "Do we have strawberry milk?" 

"No, darling." She shakes her head. She looks so done with the two of them. "You finished them already and grocery shopping isn't until tomorrow."

"But I want strawberry milk." Baekhyun puffs his cheeks.

"I'll go get you some." Chanyeol kisses his now fiancé's temple.

"Thank you~." Baekhyun sing-songs.

His Nana sighs. Baekhyun is spoiled and surely, this baby will be too.

×××

Chanyeol has been dreading this day the whole week. He's sure Baekhyun's father planned this dinner party to make him look bad in front of his important friends. Baekhyun assures him is not like that and that his father is not such a mean person.

Oh, Chanyeol begs to differ. Byun Beomsoo hates him. Despises him for getting his only son pregnant and probably ruining the perfect future he had planned for him as the heir of their company. Such a cliché and sad life of a rich boy, if you ask him.

"Do I really have to go?" Chanyeol sighs, plopping on the bed.

"It's important. We can just… sit and eat." Baekhyun shrugs. Sitting cross-legged next to him. 

"We both know is not going to be like that. Your father's gonna look for every chance to humiliate me in front of his rich friends." 

Baekhyun chuckles. "You're such a drama queen."

"Maybe." Chanyeol shrugs. "Besides, I don't even have anything to wear. That would be Humiliation #1, showing up with my ripped jeans and my old vest." He rolls his eyes.

Baekhyun hums. "You're right there. They will wear their expensive suits, of course. So we need to get you a suit." He taps his chin with his finger, thinking where can they get one with such short notice.

"I'm poor to even rent one." Chanyeol reminds his fiancé.

"Oh! I know!" Baekhyun's face lights up. "Come with me!" Excited, Baekhyun gets down the bed and out of the room. 

Chanyeol groans, following Baekhyun with heavy feet. He really doesn't want to do this.

His Nana is in the laundry room, a pile of clean clothes in front of her. Chanyeol unconsciously moves over to the table and starts folding pieces of clothes. He used to do that with his mother and it was a way for him to just keep his mind off of things.

"Nana, we need your help." Baekhyun plants his hands over the table. "The dinner party is tonight and we need a suit for Chanyeol."

"Darling, I cannot sew a whole suit for tonight. That's impossible." The woman shakes his head.

"No, not that. I saw you the other day with those bags of clothes my parents send to charity. Do you have anything in there that could help?" 

The woman hums. "I think I might." She nods. "He put away all his old suits. You and him have almost the same height. Wait here." She heads to a pair of closed doors, what it seems to be a closet and pulls out said bags. She starts rummaging inside until she finds what she's looking for: a plain black suit, jacket and trousers. The woman checks that no damage has been done to the fabric and passes it at Chanyeol. "Try it on." She commands as she returns to folding clothes.

"H-here?" Chanyeol clicks his tongue, nervously. "But um…"

"I'm an old lady, boy. And I think Baekhyunee here has seen it all." She doesn't even look at him when he starts undressing. 

Baekhyun however, keeps his eyes on him. Hungry eyes following every movement he makes. There's a smirk on his face and Chanyeol can read every single thought going inside that head right now.

"Wipe your drool." Chanyeol mocks him as he finishes buttoning the jacket. Baekhyun sticks his tongue at him and rolls his eyes. 

"I love you in a suit." Baekhyun rests his chin on his hands, elbows propped up on the table.

"Yeah? Well… I think I love myself in a suit too." Chanyeol grins, checking himself out on an old, worn out mirror hanging from the wall. 

"It fits you well. Maybe some tailoring to be exactly your size could make it look better." The woman asess.

"Won't Mr. Byun notice that I'm wearing his clothes?" Chanyeol asks, running his hands over the soft fabric.

"Darling, that's a fifty-five thousand dollarsㅡ" 

"ㅡfifty-fiveㅡ" Chanyeol is speechless.

"ㅡBrioni suit that he wore  _ twice,  _ two years ago. It had been sitting in the bottom of his closet for that long. Trust me, he won't notice." The woman continues and assures him.

"I don't feel comfortable now that I know how much this costs." Chanyeol sighs, now removing the pieces of clothes.

"It's fine, Yeol. Besides, we need this." Baekhyun insists.

Chanyeol puffs his cheeks. "Fine. I just hope everything goes well…"

~

It turns out hard for Chanyeol to keep a straight face when he's this nervous. There are not as many people as he thought it would be and no one is really looking at him; some of them pass and smile politely, like if he was just another rich guest. Chanyeol is sure that if they knew who he really is, they wouldn't even spare him a glance. He takes a long sip of his wine and puffs his cheeks, it's better if he lays low for as long as possible.

Baekhyun on the other side, is the social butterfly. Going around the house greeting everyone, his smile so bright it has every person captivated and it comes not as a surprise for Chanyeol, Baekhyun  _ himself  _ is captivating. Men and women alike treat him with so much care and affection, Chanyeol has to admit he's a little jealous, since his fiancé's attention is on everyone but him. He even hears a lady saying how much he's  _ glowing;  _ Chanyeol chuckles, if only they knew.

"There you are." Chanyeol is caught grabbing another glass of wine from the waiter. "How much of those have you had?" Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow.

"Just a few. Not enough to embarrass myself, don't worry." Chanyeol looks everywhere, making sure no one's looking at them.

"Good, because dinner will be served in a few minutes and we will be sitting next to my father and his best friend." Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

"What? Oh my God." Chanyeol groans. "See? Humiliation #2, what am I supposed to say to another rich ass man?"

"Oh no, my godfather is a very cool person. You don't have to worry about him. But I should tell you, he knows who you are and about" he points at his belly. "And he has no filter so… bear with him, please?"

"Great." Chanyeol grumbles.

They're called for dinner a few minutes later. Chanyeol doesn't really think he can do it and he's about to run off, but Baekhyun is quick to grab his hand and drag him alone. Mr. Byun is sitting at the top of the table, on his right side is Mrs. Byun; on his right side is Baekhyun, followed by Chanyeol and then Baekhyun's godfather.

Baekhyun's father gives a welcome speech. A very long welcome speech, if you ask Chanyeol. Everyone claps after he's done, Chanyeol has to force himself to do the same. Dinner is served and thankfully is nothing too weird so he doesn't have to ask what is exactly that he's eating.

"So, Chanyeol, right?" Baekhyun's godfather begins.

"Um… yeah." He nods.

"Pleasure to finally meet you. Baekhyunee has told me a lot about you." He looks over at Baekhyun, who gives him a mischievous smile and continues eating.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too, sirㅡ"

"Call me Sungwoo." He offers his hand to Chanyeol and he takes it with a nod. "Baekhyun told me you finally gave him a ring."

"Y-yes. Nothing fancy, but… yeah." 

"I'm pretty sure it means a lot to him." Baekhyun nods eagerly on the other side, cheeks full of food. "What do you do in life, son?"

"Well uh… I go to the same university Baekhyun goes. I'm a senior and I have a scholarship." Chanyeol explains.

"You must be pretty smart."

"Not as smart as Baekhyun, but enough to get one, I guess." Chanyeol shrugs. 

"Do you work?" Sungwoo takes a bite of his meat.

"I own a workshop, but I will start working with Mr. Byun this Monday, as well. It was one of his… conditions." He swallows bitterly.

"You own a workshop? That is fantastic. May I ask how you got it?"

"It was my father's. He left it to me before he died a few years ago. A car crash."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Sungwoo clears his throat. "But your mother must be very proud ofㅡ"

"My mother was in the same car, sir." 

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean toㅡ"

"It's okay. It was a long time ago, anyway. But yeah, me and some friends have been working to keep it afloat. Is not the same as before, though. We actually spend more money on it than what we earn."

Sungwoo hums. "You know… I specialize on buying small businesses and make them grow. I have a few agencies here and there, automakers and stuff. So… if you're interested on selling, we could come to an agreement."

Chanyeol remains silent for a moment, it's too much information for him to process right now. "I… I don't know. It was the only thing my father left me and Iㅡ"

"May I have your attention, please?" Mr. Byun softly tapping his glass with a spoon cuts the conversation.

"We'll continue this conversation another time." Sungwoo murmurs to him.

"Now that I have you all gathered here, I wanted to take this moment to make an important announcement. It is a great pleasure to tell you, my closest friends, that my son Baekhyun here, is getting married." The man says with a big smile on his face. 

Baekhyun's eyes widen and he almost chokes on a broccoli. Chanyeol is also looking at the man in horror. They were definitely not expecting this.

"Dad." Baekhyun calls and tries to grab him by the hand to get his attention, but the man stands up. 

"Chanyeol here," Mr. Byun points at him "will become a part of the family very soon and I feel so  _ happy _ , that I took the freedom to buy you a ring, my son, so you get officially engaged tonight."

Baekhyun swallows and all Chanyeol wants to do is pounce at the man and fix his face with his fist. 

"I already have a ring, dad." Baekhyun says, trying to not raise his voice, but his mother across him and godfather one chair apart, are able to hear him.

Beomsoo's smile is awkward as he leans in to whisper in his son's ear. "That worthless piece of trash? I saw it and you deserve so much better, son."

"I won'tㅡ"

"You will do as  _ I  _ say as long as you live under my roof." Mr. Byun speaks in between his teeth, smiling at his guests but tightly squeezing Baekhyun's wrist. Then, he moves his hand up to Baekhyun's and forcefully removes the ring Chanyeol gave him.

"No. Stop." Baekhyun tries to pull away; soon he notices he's making a scene and he doesn't really care, but the look in his mother's eyes, begging him to stop, stirs something inside him and he stops struggling.

"Chanyeol, please." He has successfully removed the ring Chanyeol gave him and put him in his pocket. "If you will." Mr. Byun passes him the ring and Chanyeol takes it with shaky hands. 

Chanyeol looks devastated as he slides the new ring on his finger. He gives Baekhyun a tiny, sad smile and his heart breaks into million pieces; all Baekhyun wants to do is punch his father's face. 

"I'm sorry." Baekhyun mouths. Chanyeol shakes his head and looks down. When the ring is finally on, all the people in the room cheers for them.

Baekhyun can't smile, his chest feels heavy. All appetite is gone and the urge to cry increases the more he looks at Chanyeol's face. He's holding back too and he's also pissed, Baekhyun can tell by his red ears.

After a few minutes, Baekhyun can't take it anymore. "Excuse me." He mumbles, standing up and rushing out of the dining room.

Chanyeol doesn't know what to do, afraid of what Beomsoo could say if he tries going after Baekhyun.

"Go." Sungwoo tells him then. "I'll handle him."

"Thank you." Chanyeol nods and disappears in a matter of seconds.

He takes the service stairs to get to Baekhyun's room. His fiancé is crying, curled up in his bed.

"B?" Chanyeol carefully calls. He climbs the bed and curls up behind Baekhyun, spooning him and unconsciously pressing his hand over Baekhyun's stomach. "Calm down, is not good for you and the baby."

"I hate him." Baekhyun spits.

"He's still your father." Chanyeol presses his mouth on the back of Baekhyun's head.

"That doesn't make him a good person." Baekhyun sniffles.

"I know. Justㅡ" A few knockings on the door stops him from speaking. With a sigh, Chanyeol gets up to open the door, hopping is neither Mr. or Mrs. Byun.

It's Baekhyun's Nana, the woman is looking at him with apologetic eyes. 

"He gave it to me to throw it away." She opens her hand, his ring rests on her palm. 

"Thank you." Chanyeol smiles a little, taking the ring with him.

She nods and then, she's gone.

Baekhyun is sitting up now, watching as Chanyeol comes closer, eyes fixed on the ring.

"You know," Chanyeol starts as he sits next to Baekhyun "this nut is not  _ just  _ a nut. It's from the first car dad fixed when he first opened the workshop. Kept it in a little glass box because he firmly believed it would bring him good fortune." He sighs. "I wanted you to have it 'cuz it reminds me of them and I know they would have adore you, B. I think mom would want to have you everyday for dinner; she loved food and loved sharing it with others."

"You've never told me about your parents. Aside from the accident, I mean." Baekhyun mumbles, pressing carefully his legs against his chest and resting his head on his knees. "Tell me more."

Chanyeol chuckles. "Everyone used to think my dad was a drug-addict just because the way he dressed.  _ Like me.  _ But he was a very hardworking man; always looking for a way to get himself and mom through a hard life. He wanted me to go to a good university, I busted my ass off studying to get excellent grades so I could get a scholarship and I did. They were so proud." Chanyeol smiles.

"Your eyes sparkle when you talk about them." Baekhyun smiles. "Do you miss them?" He asks.

"A lot. When your father took the ring I… I got so scared that he wouldㅡ"

"I'm so sorry, Yeol." Baekhyun scoots closer to Chanyeol, resting his head now on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault he's like that." Chanyeol shakes his head. "But if you wear the ring now…"

An idea crosses Baekhyun's mind. "Can you pass me the jewelry box that's on top of the dresser, please?" He points at one corner of his room. Quirking an eyebrow, Chanyeol does as asked.

Baekhyun opens it with care and grabs a thin, pretty silver necklace chain, it's plain and it doesn't have a charm, but Baekhyun looks at it with fond eyes. Handling it carefully on his fingers.

"My mom gave this to me for my birthday two years ago. It used to have a B as a charm, but you know… during high school, people didn't really like me… I was too smart, they said. Was that even a valid reason? Anyway, tere was this guy, Jaehyo; he used to pick on me at every chance he got. One day I tried to defend myself, but he was taller and bigger, and I was so skinny and short." Baekhyun chuckles. "He grabbed me by my neck and was about to punch me on the face, but then he noticed the necklace and I think he just wanted to be extra mean," Baekhyun shrugs "so he pulled on it and broke it. Took the charm with him. We got the chain fixed, but I didn't want to get another charm or wear it again during high school. Just in case it happened again."

"I hate bullies, I'd haveㅡ"

"It's in the past. But I thought… I can wear my dad's ring on my finger and yours close to my heart. This way we won't risk it again." Baekhyun says as he takes the ring and slides it on the chain. He moves to the side a little, silently asking for help to hook the necklace at the back of his neck.

"I like that idea." Chanyeol mumbles, leaning in to leave a small kiss on Baekhyun's neck.

×××

Working with Baekhyun's father turned out to be more exhausting than he thought it would be. Being Mr. Byun's assistant's assistant is not as easy, because not only he has to follow every order she gives to him, the woman is also a pain in the ass. She's bossy and cranky all the time, but Chanyeol can't really blame her, working by Mr. Byun's side can do that to a person.

Chanyeol has regular office hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., he spends the rest of the afternoon tending to Baekhyun, to whatever his fiancé needs and works half a shift on the workshop during the weekends. If it's hard and tiring now, Chanyeol doesn't even want to think how it's gonna be once summer is over and they have to go back to school. Time with Baekhyun will be cut short to the few free matching periods they'll have and the weekends. He  _ will  _ have to give up entirely on the workshop.

Baekhyun is finally starting to show, he's at the beginning of his third month and a small bump is already protruding; Baekhyun's body is small, so it's a little bit more noticeable on him than a regular three month old pregnant belly. He looks happier than ever, now that his father is gone for who knows how long to another country for business, Baekhyun doesn't feel the pressure of being watched all the time.

Mrs. Byun has warmed up to Chanyeol as well, she's more supportive of their relationship and the baby now and even though Mr. Byun had strictly  _ forbid  _ her to spend more money than the needed for doctor appointments and anything health related, the woman already has a full nursery room ready for her grandchild, all bee themed. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had insisted that it wasn't necessary, the baby was going to sleep in their room until they could afford to fix a nursery, but she didn't budged and ended up doing it anyway.

With Mr. Byun out of the house, everything is so much calmer. They eat dinner in peace. They can sit on the living and cuddle on the couch without anyone bothering them. Chanyeol can walk around the house freely and not scared of running into the man. Even though, he can't wait until he can afford to buy or rent a place of their own: a nice apartment or a house in a family friendly neighborhood, wherever Baekhyun would feel comfortable in.

Chanyeol likes to dream about all kinds of things when he's under a car, grease smeared all over his face, his blue overalls all covered in oil; he likes doing this, getting dirty and sweaty.

"Hey, Chan." A girly voice calls his name. He feels the pull on his foot, causing him to hit his head on the car. 

He pushes himself out. Seulgi is standing there, face greasy and the top part of her overalls tied up around her hips. She doesn't look happy. She never does.

"What?" Chanyeol groans, rubbing the damaged area of his head.

"A man in a suit is looking for you." She announces, pointing at the entrance.

"I don't know any men in suits." Chanyeol shakes his head and tries to go back under the car.

"He says he knows you. I think his name was Lee… Sungwoo?" Seulgi insists.

"Sungㅡ oooww." Chanyeol hits his head again. "Yeah, let him in."

"We're busy out there too, you know! We're not your messengers!" Seulgi exclaims as she goes away. 

Sungwoo comes in a minute later, while Chanyeol is cleaning his hands with a cloth.

"That girl is something." Sungwoo chuckles. "I thought she was going to kick me. Hello."

"Hi." Chanyeol laughs. "If you're not careful, she would. Um… how did you know the workshop's address?"

"Baekhyun."

"Of course. What can I do for you?" Chanyeol leans over the large table where they keep some tools.

"I would like to continue the conversation we were having at the dinner." 

"Oh… right, of course. Follow me." They enter a small room with a desk full of papers and folders, a place they use to storage important documents, money and to sleep every once in a while. "I'm sorry about the mess. When I'm not here they do whatever they want."

"I assume they're your friends?" Chanyeol nods. "Junmyeon seems like a really nice guy, he gave me a small tour when I arrived."

"Yeah, he's… a people's person."

Sungwoo smiles and nods. "Listen, I've been discussing a few ideas with my team. We need a workshop to incorporate to one of my automakers and I told them about yours. They thought it could be a good idea, since the automaker is only three blocks away from here."

"Oh… you mean the Leesom automaker crossing the avenue?" Chanyeol leans in over the table.

"That one. And… well, we've collected a few legal documents for you to review first." Sungwoo pulls out of his case a black folder and slides it to Chanyeol's side. "Initially, you'll be receiving 2.5 million and after we adapt the workshop, we'll give you another 2.5 millionㅡ"

"Wait, wait." Chanyeol shakes his head. "Are we talking wons here?"

"Dollars of course. You'll receive a total of 5 million dollars." Sungwoo explains.

"Fiveㅡ" Chanyeol's eyes widen and his mouth falls open. "That'sㅡ that's a lot of money."

"Well, we are valuing the terrain. The workshop is on a very good location. Perfect to attract customers, because it will not only operate for the automaker, it will be open to the public in general as well."

"I… I don't know what to say. I mean… that money could be very helpful with our situation right now, but at the same time I don't know if I can sell the only thing my father left me and I can't leave my friends jobless, they depend on this workshop too."

"I understand your concerns. But you don't have to worry about your friends, if they decide to stay, they will receive training for the new activities we'll be doing here and keep their jobs. They will, of course, have a paycheck." Sungwoo says, also leaning over the desk. "And you won't be losing what your father left you. I usually don't do this, but since you're part of the family and Baekhyunee basically  _ demanded  _ a fair trade… I agreed to leave you the 30% of the monthly profits, including both the independent customers and then cars sent from the automaker. If the statistics are correct, you will still be making around 40-50 thousand dollars a month."

"That's still a lot of money…" Chanyeol mumbles.

"My business is always growing, boy. And well, if you want to come work here part time as you've been doing, you are welcome."

"This is… very generous of you, but… how do I know that there's no tricks here?" Chanyeol narrows his eyes.

"I figured you would have your doubts. But the contract is very detailed, you will find everything that I just told you and a little more in there, I can give you a week to think about it. Review the contract, talk it out with Baekhyun, a lawyer if you can, your friends and then you call me." Sungwoo says as he stands up, fixing the jacket of his suit.

"Okay." Chanyeol nods, already starting to read the contract.

"Chanyeol, I know this figures a big change for you and it's totally normal for you not to trust me completely. We just met, after all. But you are going to be marrying my godson, hell, you'll have a child together! I will never do anything to harm Baekhyun or that baby. I want the best for them and by helping you, I help them." 

"Thank you, Sungwoo. I really appreciate this and I promise I will think about it."

"Good." Sungwoo smiles. He heads to the door and stops. "You won't regret it." Sungwoo adds, then he leaves, leaving Chanyeol behind with a lot to think about.

Chanyeol never imagined that he would pass from being an ordinary student, to be  _ rich  _ in just a few months. Who would have thought? That, if he accepts the deal.

~

When Chanyeol arrives home, it's already late at night. The house is dark and silent and it feels bigger like this. He uses the service stairs to get to Baekhyun's room.

The second floor is also dark and silent, the large hall looks quite creepy like this, so Chanyeol rushes his steps, he's seen enough horror movies to know this is not gonna end well and he, as the poor guy, is going to die first.

He gets in Baekhyun's room safely, slowly closing the door just in case his fiancé is already asleep. Chanyeol cracks his neck, his body begging for a hot shower or anything that could relax his muscles. He's a little bit tense and thinking about Sungwoo's proposal all day puts him under some stress. 

He's in the middle of undressing when he hears little sniffles coming from under the blankets. Chanyeol panics a little and not worrying about being all greasy and sticky from sweating all day, he rushes to the bed and climbs up.

"B?" He places a gentle hand over the pile of blankets. The sniffles get louder. "B, is everything okay?" More sniffles. "You're scaring me, talk to me?" Chanyeol is starting to  _ really  _ panic. "Baekㅡ"

Baekhyun removes the blankets with a harsh move, revealing his bloated and red face. His cheeks are wet and he's pouting hard.

"What's going on? Are you hurting? Is Babyㅡ"

"I'm not hurting." Baekhyun cuts him off, wiping tears and snot from his face with his sleeve. "But I do hate you." He says and goes back to be one with his blanket.

"Uh... why? What did I do?" Chanyeol blinks, confused.

"You haven't been here all day! And all I get is one text message.  _ One! _ " The sniffles are back. "I've been by myself for who knows how long andㅡ"

Chanyeol sighs. "Baek, I'm so sorry. Sungwoo visited me at the workshop, I lost track of time. I didn't mean toㅡ"

"Of course you didn't mean to! You never do! All I wanted was to cuddle." Baekhyun keeps silently screaming. It's a strange behavior, coming from Baekhyun, but soon Chanyeol realizes that it must be the pregnancy speaking. 

A crooked smile appears on Chanyeol's face and he leans in to kiss Baekhyun's forehead. "I'm gonna take a shower and I'll be back and cuddle you. I'll make it up to you, okay?" 

Chanyeol doesn't wait for an answer, he starts moving back so he can get to the bathroom, but Baekhyun stops him, grabbing him by the wrist.

"By cuddles I mean I'm horny, Yeol." Baekhyun explains. "I uh… can you stay like that? It's somehow turning me on even more." He bites his lower lip. Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, I'm pregnant. I have weird cravings." Baekhyun frowns now and Chanyeol agrees. "Naked, please." He commands.

Chanyeol licks his lips, it's been about a month since they have done anything sexual aside from blowjobs and handjobs, and it's usually Chanyeol doing the jobs, not wanting to exhaust Baekhyun more than necessary. His dick needs attention that is not from his own hand too.

Baekhyun gets on his side, removing the blankets as they now feel annoying. Chanyeol positions himself behind, hand sneaking up Baekhyun's waist and under his pajama pants.

"You're not… wearing underwear." Chanyeol affirms. A small and breathy  _ no  _ comes out of Baekhyun's mouth. Chanyeol groans, pressing his body against Baekhyun. His half hard dick poking at Baekhyun's ass. 

Chanyeol's hand moves further down, his palm cupping one asscheek and squeezing, eliciting a small whimper from Baekhyun.

"I… already fingered myself earlier. It must be already slicked for you." Baekhyun mumbles, pushing his ass back for more contact.

Chanyeol almost cries, it's not everyday he gets to hear Baekhyun talking like that. He's horny too, he has been for a while now, but the last thing he wanted was to pressure Baekhyun into doing anything. And now that he has him here, all pliant and willing to  _ let him in,  _ his dick is harder than ever, but still…

"B." Chanyeol gasps, letting his head fall down over Baekhyun's shoulder. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt Baby."

"Don't be silly. You're not going to hurt us. I talked to my doctor today and… she said it's okay, just nothing too… rough." Baekhyun closes his eyes at the sensation of Chanyeol's rough fingers caressing his thighs. 

"Okay." Chanyeol nods. "So you want me toㅡ"

"Get inside me, Yeol." Baekhyun mumbles, lifting his leg and hooking it over Chanyeol's thigh. 

Chanyeol is the one to whimper now. He strokes himself a few times to harden it a little more and then guides the head to Baekhyun's entrance. He teases and rubs at the rim, making Baekhyun groan and clutch at the sheets. 

"No foreplay today. Just..." Baekhyun grunts. 

Chanyeol understands, the need his body feels is almost the same as Baekhyun. He slowly pushes himself inside; Baekhyun's body trembles. He's still so tight Chanyeol could cum by just this. 

He's not even moving yet and Baekhyun is already moaning.

"B… I don't think I can last for long. I'mㅡ I'm sorry." Chanyeol moans too, then he latches his lips onto Baekhyun's neck and sucks.

Baekhyun squirms. "Me neither. Can you move?" 

Chanyeol does. He starts a slow grinding of his hips, pushing in deeper and deeper. It's so warm inside Baekhyun, his cock twitches with every thrust. Baekhyun's moans are short, high pitched and needy.

"Fuck, this feels good." Chanyeol grunts, his hand gripping tightly around the pudgy flesh of Baekhyun's hip.

Baekhyun hums. "Can you move a little faster?" 

Chanyeol is hesitant for a moment, not sure that if he picks up the pace, he'll be able to control himself, but Baekhyun is needily pushing his ass back, looking for more friction.

" _ Please _ ." He's begging now and Chanyeol can't resist anymore, so he does.

Chanyeol snaps his hips and Baekhyun almost screams, he has to cover his mouth to stop himself from doing so.

"There?" Chanyeol asks, breathless.

"Y-yes, there. I'm so close. Oh, fuck!" It's too much for him, after so long and being so sensitive due to his pregnancy is killing him.

Chanyeol is no better, he's about to cum too and Baekhyun clenching around him is not helping either. 

"I'm close too. Should I pullㅡ"

Baekhyun shakes his head. "In-inside. It's not likeㅡ like you can get me pregnant a-again."

Chanyeol wants to laugh, but it comes out as an ugly snort; his hips tremble as he moves his hand to wrap it around Baekhyun's dick, a few strokes and Baekhyun is cumming with a shudder and a whine that sounds way too cute for Chanyeol, who cums not long after.

"Should we shower?" Chanyeol asks, but he's already getting comfortable.

Baekhyun hums, letting him wrap his sweaty arms around him. "In the morning. You said something about uncle Sungwoo visiting you?"

"Tomorrow, get some sleep now." Chanyeol kisses his neck.

Baekhyun is asleep in less than five minutes, feeling satisfied. Chanyeol follows soon after, burying his face in Baekhyun's cocoa scented hair.

×××

They certainly didn't miss it. Having Mr. Byun around. 

By the time he comes back from his business trip, Baekhyun is already on his fourth month, belly grown and way too visible. Hiding it is not an option anymore. He looks at his son with a certain hint of disgust on his face, still not getting used to the fact that his only, 19 year old son is very much pregnant. By a  _ good for nothing,  _ nonetheless, according to Byun Beomsoo's own words.

They are having dinner in complete silence, the only sound in the dining room being the clanking of the silverware against the porcelain. Baekhyun had tried to ask his father how his trip had been, but he only received a plain and simple  _ "fine".  _

Chanyeol feels so uncomfortable he's seriously thinking about grabbing Baekhyun and run away from there. Baekhyun by his side looks sad that his father shows no interest about him and his grandchild and all he wants to do is hug his pregnant and  _ extremely _ emotional fiancé.

Baekhyun starts sniffling out of nowhere, eyes filling with tears in seconds.

"B?" Chanyeol leaves his fork aside and turns to Baekhyun.

"Can we not do that, Baekhyun?" Mr. Byun sighs, slicing himself another piece of meat.

"Iㅡ I justㅡ" Baekhyun sobs.

"Save the tears for later, son."

"Hey, it's okay. Does anything hurt?" Chanyeol asks, gently rubbing Baekhyun's back.

"Nothing hurts. He's just being the little brat he is because he's not getting the attention he wants." Mr. Byun rolls his eyes. "You will have to get used to it, son, once you have that baby all the attention will not be on you anymore. A baby having a baby, ridiculous." The man snorts.

"With all due respect, sir, you can't talk to him like that. Can't you see he's crying?" Chanyeol frowns, hand rubbing Baekhyun's back up and soothingly.

"In a week summer will be over. Have you thought about how you're going to hide  _ that _ ?" 

"He won't be hiding anything. Weㅡ"

" _ You  _ need to learn when to shut up." Beomsoo grits his teeth, aggressively dropping his fork.

"Loveㅡ" Baekhyun's mother tries to calm him down, softly squeezing the man's forearm.

"Come on, Baek. Let's get you to your room." 

Chanyeol helps Baekhyun up and carefully guides him to his bedroom. Baekhyun is sobbing in his arms, clinging to him as they go up the stairs.

Baekhyun feels his legs shaking, aware that if it wasn't for Chanyeol holding him, he would probably fall to the floor. His father's words sting in his chest, his indifference burns. This is not how he imagined things would be; in his heart, his father would be accepting, would cherish the idea of having a grandchild. Baekhyun supposes, he doesn't know his father as well as he thought he did.

"I don't understand." Baekhyun finally speaks minutes later Chanyeol has finished tucking him into bed.

Chanyeol sighs, stopping his search for something to sleep inside his bag. He approaches the bed and sits down next to Baekhyun, removing a few strands of wild hair that are sticking to his forehead.

"You're his only child." Chanyeol says, almost like a whisper, he doesn't want to disturb the silence of their room. "You haven't even finished college and I guess he had great plans for your future." He runs his fingers up and down Baekhyun's face on what he hopes, it's soothing enough to put the younger to sleep sooner.

"But keeping this baby was my choice." Baekhyun places his hands over the small bump on his belly under. "There is a future here, too." His voice wavers again. Chanyeol feels him tremble a little and his heart squeezes painfully for the hundredth time. It is partially his fault too that Baekhyun is in this situation. If they had been more careful… "I know what you're thinking. Stop." Baekhyun's voice hardens, stopping Chanyeol's restless thread of thoughts.

"I'm sorry. It's just hard not to think about it." Chanyeol mumbles. 

Baekhyun pulls his hand from under the covers and searches for Chanyeol's to wrap around and squeeze. Chanyeol closes his eyes and lets out a small breath at the warmth.

"I don't regret anything. But I don't think it's healthy for us to remain here." Baekhyun says and his voice has such determination, that it scares Chanyeol a little.

"Baek, this would be a big change. You might be letting the distress of the moment speak for you right now." Chanyeol chooses his words carefully. "We should talk about it in the morning, whenㅡ"

Baekhyun shakes his head. "I'm sure."

"Okay." Chanyeol mumbles, slowly nodding his head. He waits for a moment for Baekhyun to say something else, maybe change his mind, that would give Chanyeol some peace, but he doesn't and instead, rolls over to his side, pulling the blankets all the way up to his neck.

Chanyeol lets out a long sigh and takes his phone, silently getting out of the bedroom, he dials Sungwoo's number.

"/Chanyeol!/" It's Sungwoo's excited answer.

"I'll take the deal." 

"/You won't regret it./" 

Chanyeol certainly hopes he won't.

×××

Baekhyun doesn't know how to feel about their temporary new home. It's small, cramped, a mess and it smells weird,  _ the lack of use _ , according to Chanyeol; and it's not that Baekhyun thinks his fiancé is a dirty person, but he does tends to be disorganized most of the times and all the clothes, boxes and more thrown around hazardly all over the place are the mere indication of that.

He removes a few pieces of clothing from the couch and sits down, letting out a sigh as he leans against the backseat. Baekhyun feels exhausted and terrified, they left the house without his parents knowing and with his Nana's help, so it's only a matter of time before they find out and all hells break loose. 

"I'll get it clean so you'll be more comfortable." Chanyeol says while he moves around, picking up random things and putting them into a basket. Baekhyun only hums, too tired to even move. "We'll have to go grocery shopping, too. The fridge is…" Baekhyun raises his head at the sound of his boyfriend's voice fading. Chanyeol has stopped his attempt at cleaning up and now, he's staring with an apologetic smile on his lips. "I know you hate it."

"Iㅡ I don'tㅡ" Baekhyun lets out a sigh. "I don't hate it, it's justㅡ"

"ㅡnot what you're used to." Chanyeol finishes his sentence, nodding as he resumes his task. 

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be complaining." Baekhyun looks down, both hands placing over the small bump on his stomach.

"Hey." Chanyeol drops the basket he's holding on the floor and comes to sit next to Baekhyun, joining his hands with his on his stomach and pressing his forehead against Baekhyun's temple. "It's only temporary. As soon as I get the money we'll start looking for a nice place."

"I know." Baekhyun snuggles closer. "I don't care where we live, as long as I'm with you. It's just that… I'm worried."

"Don't be. Everything's going to be fine." Chanyeol promises, even though he doesn't know how things are going to work out from now on. "Why don't you go downstairs while I clean up a little? Junmyeon can keep you entertained."

"Do I have to?" Baekhyun puffs his cheeks.

"Yes, it's dusty in here." Chanyeol grins, patting Baekhyun's thigh for him to get up.

"Fine." Huffing, Baekhyun stands up and heads to the door, leaving Chanyeol to his cleaning task. 

Downstairs, everyone looks busy, all of them doing their own stuff as Baekhyun walks through the large warehouse that is the workshop. Chanyeol's friends greet him with familiar smiles and even though Baekhyun doesn't really know all of them well, he returns the gesture, his right hand pressed on the small bump of his belly.

He finds Junmyeon talking with a client, explaining something to him while he points at the paper sheet in his hands. Junmyeon nods and smiles, the man looks satisfied as he receives the sheet, folds it in half and tucks it inside his jacket. The man leaves with a pat on Junmyeon's shoulder. 

Baekhyun watches with interest, he knows Junmyeon is Chanyeol's best friend and right hand man. He knows Junmyeon and his family have always been there for Chanyeol, especially after his parents passed away. And even though Baekhyun hasn't really met him much, he likes the guy. Junmyeon has soft features, almost in a maternal way; he's always smiling and he always knows what to say.

"Chanyeol sent you?" Junmyeon's voice breaks his one-sided staring contest and if he noticed it in any way, he doesn't comment on it. Junmyeon approaches him with a lopsided smile on his lips, tucking the pen on his hands inside the front pocket of his shirt.

Baekhyun nods. "He's cleaning up. Didn't want me up there." He twists his lips on a childish way, making Junmyeon chuckle.

"Let me get a chair for you." 

"Ah. No. It's fine." Baekhyun stops him. "My legs need some circulation. I'm heavy." He pats his swollen stomach. 

Junmyeon understands, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he nods. He stays silent for a moment. Baekhyun's eyes move down to his feet, frowning as he realizes that soon, he won't be able to even look at them, with how big he might probably get. He never thought about how much he would miss looking at his feet until now; a pout forms on his lips, he feels ridiculous for wanting to cry for something as stupid as this.

"How are you?" Ah, there it is, Baekhyun thinks, looking up at Junmyeon; that soft, careful tone he's heard him using on Chanyeol sometimes.

Baekhyun lets out a long sigh. "I'm fine. I guess." He shrugs. "I mean… my father hates me. I'm as good as I can be with that."

"Do you really think he hates you?" Junmyeon moves to stand by his side.

"He can't stand having me around. I would say that yeah, he does."

"I've never met your father." Junmyeon says, as a matter of fact. "But I'm sure he doesn't  _ hate  _ you. He's probably just confused and scared. You are his only son, right?" At that, Baekhyun nods. "Maybe, all he needs is time… to get used to the fact that you're growing up."

Baekhyun breathes out through his nose. "My father is a complicated man. He might neverㅡ"

"Junㅡ" Baekhyun is interrupted by a female voice. He turns on his heels in time to look at her. She has stopped just a few steps away from them; she's scowling, the paper sheets in his hands are now crumpled below her fingers. Baekhyun can see the tension on her jaw as she looks away, then back up at them, her eyes focusing mainly on Junmyeon. "Lee Sungwoo is here to pick up the contract."

"I'll be there in a moment." Junmyeon says softly, as if trying to ease the tension Baekhyun doesn't even know of the reason why. She walks away with a nod. "Chanyeol told me he's your godfather." Junmyeon continues, with a more casual tone as he encourages Baekhyun to walk with him.

"Yeah…" Baekhyun mumbles. 

They enter the still messy office. Sungwoo is sitting on one of the chairs, typing away something on his phone. He looks up and a wide smile appears on his lips at the sight of Baekhyun, who returns the gesture with ease and closes the distance between them to wrap his arms around his uncle.

"My boy." Sungwoo says fondly, his hand caressing Baekhyun's head. Baekhyun knows he knows why he's here. "Are you feeling okay? Have you eaten?"

"Yes." Baekhyun pulls away. "Uncle… my dadㅡ"

Sungwoo shakes his head. "Don't worry about that. Your mother and I know how to deal with him."

Baekhyun lets out a sigh and nods. They will have to have a conversation soon, but for now, he steps out of the office so they can talk business. Chanyeol should be here any moment now as well, so Baekhyun takes his time to walk around the workshop a little.

Baekhyun recalls not many people at the workshop last time he visited, so he figures they're the people his uncle sent to check on the work they do here. He smiles at them either way, knowing how uncomfortable it must be to have a pregnant person walking around with all the hazards that could potentially harm him.

"You shouldn't be walking around here." The same female voice from earlier speaks behind him. Baekhyun turns around to see her, once again, scowling at him. She's the only woman in here and she seems familiar, but Baekhyun can't quite remember her name.

"I was justㅡ"

"You must be pretty stupid. There are plenty of things here that could kill _ you  _ and that baby." She's now walking towards him. She's holding a screwdriver in her hand. "And that won't do any good." The girl says as she comes to a stop right in front of him.

Baekhyun swallows, but he doesn't back off. "Should I feel threatened?" He quirks an eyebrow.

The girls snorts, changing her weight from her left leg to her right. Hair from her messy bun falling over her face with the movement; she's really pretty, Baekhyun notices: with delicate features but fierce eyes. Kind of scary, if you ask him. "Do you?" Baekhyun shrugs, leaning back a little now. "You  _ should  _ be careful."

Baekhyun can feel the tension building up as the silence stretches between them. The girl has her gaze locked with his, but Baekhyun decided to not look away, much less show the tiniest hint of the terror he's feeling right now, mostly because he has the feeling that she could send him flying across the room with a punch of her fist. He wonders ifㅡ

"Seulgi." Junmyeon comes into view. Baekhyun instantly relaxes.  _ Seulgi _ , of course. Baekhyun has heard Chanyeol mention her a few times before. His best girl-friend. "Leave him alone."

"I'm not doing anything." Seulgi rolls her eyes. 

Junmyeon shakes his head. "Baek, your uncle wants to talk to you." He points at the office behind his back. Baekhyun nods and storms out of there, relief filling his body.

"What you did was reckless, kid." Sungwoo scolded as soon as the office's door closed behind Baekhyun.

"Uncle, Iㅡ"

"But I might understand why you did it." Sungwoo sighs, lowering his voice. "Dealing with your stubborn father can be a pain in the ass." He shakes his head. "Especially because your situation isn't entirely… ideal, for the plans he had for you." Baekhyun nods, hanging his head low; he bites his lower lip and fidgets with the hem of his shirt during the couple of seconds that his uncle remains silent. "You know you can count on me for anything, right?"

The sudden voice filling the room startles him. Baekhyun looks up again and opens his mouth to speak, a weak  _ yes  _ comes out, not louder than a puff of breath. He swallows the lump in his throat, feeling his body slightly trembling; his head is starting to throb.

Sungwoo huffs before he's speaking again. "You should call your mother. She was very worried when I left the house earlier today." Baekhyun keeps quiet, teeth still chewing on his lower lip. He's anxious, his fingers shaking as he unconsciously scratches the back of his right hand. "You don't have to call her today, Iㅡ hey, stop that." Sungwoo frowns, moving forward to grab Baekhyun's left wrist. It's been so long since he saw his godson doing that. He will have to speak to Chanyeol about it later. "Just… take your time. I will tell her you're okay." Baekhyun nods, sniffling as his glassy eyes lock with his uncle's. Sungwoo's heart clenches. "Come here." Gentle arms wrap around his shoulders. Baekhyun can't help it anymore, wrapping his own arms around his uncle's torso as well and burying his face in his chest to cry for the nth time. "I know it's hard right now… but you're not alone, okay?" Baekhyun nods again. "Stop crying, it can't be good for the baby." 

Baekhyun steps away, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe out the tears on his cheeks and the snot running down his nose. "Thank you, uncle."

"Go upstairs, it's not safe for you down here." 

"Why is everyone telling me that?" Baekhyun groans. "I can be careful, you know?" 

"You could trip and kill yourself. Go." 

Baekhyun twists his lips and rolls his eyes, but he ends up smiling anyway, giving his uncle one last quick hug before walking out of the office. 

The smell of fried chicken welcomes him as soon as he opens the door. Baekhyun's feet move on their own, attracted by the mouth-watering smell coming from the kitchen. Chanyeol is dumping all the contents from the plastic containers onto a plate. 

"Hungry?" Chanyeol looks at him from where he's standing behind the small kitchen counter slash island. 

Baekhyun makes himself space between the counter and his fiancé, using his hips to push Chanyeol to the side a little. The taller chuckles, allowing him to do so but pressing himself against his fiancé's side after, hands resting on his hips.

"It smells so good." Baekhyun closes his eyes as he inhales.

Chanyeol hums, stepping closer to Baekhyun. "Eat." He says, kissing the back of his head to then step away and sit on the stool next to him.

Baekhyun grimaces in disappointment at the loss of warmth around his body and thinks about complaining, but the food looks even more tempting right now, so he grabs a leg and starts munching.

For a while, Chanyeol only watches him eat. Grinning at all the satisfied noises Baekhyun makes while he grabs piece after piece of chicken, closing his eyes and constantly sighing in delight. It's a bit later, when only three pieces of chicken are left, that Baekhyun realizes that Chanyeol has just been sitting there, starting.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Baekhyun mumbles, looking between the almost empty plate and his oily hands. 

He looks on the verge of crying, so Chanyeol rushes to speak, "It was all for you. I'm not hungry."

"But you've been cleaning andㅡ"

"Finish it." Chanyeol insists. "I've cleaned the bathroom so you can take a warm shower and rest." 

Baekhyun nods slowly as he does what he's been told. After finishing the pieces of chicken left, Chanyeol guides him to the bedroom, where Baekhyun's small suitcase is now resting over a desk in a corner of the room. He rumages among his stuff, managing to find his underwear, but his sleeping clothes are nowhere to be seen.

"I think I forgot my pajamas." He huffs, turning to Chanyeol, who's busy looking for something in the lower drawer of the dresser. 

"It's fine, I can lend you something to sleep in." Chanyeol leaves a baby blue towel on the bed and proceeds to open the top drawers, pulling out a black pullover and gray sweatpants. "This might probably be too big on you but… they'll do for now." 

Baekhyun mumbles a soft  _ thanks  _ and walks towards the bed to grab the towel. "Will you shower with me?" 

Chanyeol chuckles. "We won't fit in there. You go first." 

Baekhyun pouts, but goes anyway, too tired to argue and stay on his feet for much longer. He needs to lie down or his legs will fail him any moment now. The water is hot and it's doing wonders to his tensed muscles, but as much as Baekhyun would like to enjoy it, his need for a bed is even bigger, so in minutes, he's already changed and snuggled on the covers of Chanyeol's much smaller bed.

It doesn't matter though, Baekhyun thinks, smiling as Chanyeol joins him under the covers, freshly showered. Baekhyun scoots closer, searching for his boyfriend's warmth and Chanyeol complies, wrapping his arms around the other's waist to pull him closer and press his face on Baekhyun's hair. 

Chanyeol closes his eyes and lets out a small sigh of contentment. Peace, at last.

×××

Byun Jiahee never thought she would see herself in a situation like this. She was educated in the best schools, with the best professors; to be the better version of herself, to be the lady she was expected to be and, as the only child, carry the weight of her family's name and reputation on her shoulders; she was told by her many nanas and etiquette instructors, that waiting until marriage to give out her innocence to man, was extremely important and out of questions and even though she understands that times are now different, finding out that her only son, her baby… was pregnant at only 19 years old, had been the shock of her life. Jiahee had been angry at first, pissed even, but if it was hard for them as Baekhyun's parents to swallow the news, she could only imagine how it must have been for her son and Chanyeol. So she was left with the only logical option she could think of: be a supportive mother.

But now, sitting on that worn out couch and holding a cup of instant coffee on her hands inside that tiny apartment, all she wants to do is cry. This is  _ not _ what she wanted for her son.

Her eyes glance down to Baekhyun's growing belly, barely visible under the long-sleeve shirt ㅡthat she's sure is not hisㅡ he's wearing. He'll be entering the third month of his pregnancy in a few days and Jiahee can't still stop herself from thinking just…  _ how did this happen.  _

A slender hand places itself over the bump, breaking Jiahee's train of thoughts. She clears her throat and looks away, embarrassed from staring for so long and being caught while doing it.

"I'm okay, mom. Really." Baekhyun assures her. And she would believe it, if it wasn't for the purple bags framing his son's tired eyes. "Just… worried."

Jiahee sighs, nodding her head in understandment. She keeps her words until Chanyeol is coming back from the kitchen, a glass of apple juice Baekhyun had requested on his hand. They both need to hear what she wants to say.

"Thank you." Baekhyun mumbles, grabbing the glass; his face brightens up at Chanyeol, who leans in to receive the kiss Baekhyun is offering. Jiahee looks down at her lap, not wanting to intrude. 

Chanyeol sits down behind her son and immediately, Baekhyun leans back while Chanyeol wraps his arm around the younger's waist, hand resting over the bump as if the actions were automatic responses of their bodies by now. They are both looking at her, expectant.

Jiahee is nervous, her perfectly manicured index fingernail tapping on the porcelain's mug, and she doesn't even know why. This is her son, in front of her. Her  _ pregnant  _ son.

"Mrs. Byun?" Chanyeol calls her name hesitantly, scooting closer to Baekhyun, in a somehow protective manner, as if waiting for her to lash out on them. On Baekhyun.

"Your father is very upset." She begins. Chanyeol feels Baekhyun tensing in his arms; with his free hand, he squeezes Baekhyun's wrist reassuringly. "He wanted to disown you completely." Baekhyun nods, understanding his father's stance. "But I managed to convince him to keep covering the expenses of your studies, because… you plan to continue with college, right?" Jiahee asks, concern printed all over her face.

"Of course!" Baekhyun exclaims, louder than intended. "Yes." He says lower. "I could never…"

"Okay." She nods. "Good." Jiahee lets out a sigh of relief. "But as for everything else…"

"I know." Baekhyun's smile is sad. "I think we'll be able to manage?" He doesn't intend it to sound like a question, but it does and Chanyeol doesn't seem to mind about the brief moment of hesitance. It's only a completely understandable concern, after all.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Mrs. Byun. I'll take care of him. Them." Chanyeol confirms Baekhyun's words. She can see, on his face, the way he's trying to ease her currently troubled heart as well and she appreciates it.

Jiahee smiles, glancing down at her now cold cup of coffee, the ghost of a smile dancing on her lips. "I don't want you to go through this alone." She looks at her son, then at Chanyeol. "It can be hard, being the first time… just know I'm here for you."

Baekhyun lets out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and finally allowing himself, ever since his mother stepped inside the apartment, to relax, going limp on Chanyeol's arms. This was not the outcome he had expected, not even close, but it is definitely better than the hurtful words he had somehow waited to come out of his mother's mouth.

"Thank you, mom." Baekhyun mumbles.

"Thank you, Mrs. Byun." Chanyeol mimics his words, letting his shoulders go slack.

Jiahee clears her throat, even when she knows she's accepting the situation herself and seeing how both kids visibly relax, she can't still help the uncomfortable feeling settling in her chest, squeezing her heart.

"I would like you to let me bring everything from the nurseryㅡ"

"Oh, no. No." Baekhyun shakes his head adamantly. "That's notㅡ"

"It's my gift to my grandchild." Baekhyun is interrupted by the sudden sweetness in his mother's voice. "Let me do it."

Baekhyun glances at Chanyeol, then at his mom and bites his lower lip. "Alright." He finally accepts. "But maybe we can wait until we move out to a bigger apartment." Baekhyun knows he doesn't need a confirmation for something that Chanyeol has reassured for him more often than not by now, but with his mother's ominent presence in the room, he can't help. Chanyeol seems to understand, so he smiles and nods. 

"Oh… are you looking right now?" Jiahee asks, a surge of relief spreading across her chest. The place where they are right now doesn't seem fitting for a baby to live in.  _ Especially  _ not her grandchild.

"We'll start tomorrow." Chanyeol replies to the question. "We want to find something before school starts."

"Good. That's good. If you need help, let me know. I can help." She nods her head, hands unconsciously tightening around the cold porcelain mug.

"We will." Baekhyun assures her. "But please, stop worrying. I know you." His eyes move down to the mug and Baekhyun grimaces; her face is calmed, no apparent emotion is shown, but her knuckles are turning white from how tight her hold is.

Jiahee lets out a long, dragged breath, shoulders deflating and her perfect composure disappearing as she finds herself caught again. She closes her eyes and gives herself a moment, she's been trying to hold back what she really wants to say, for her son's sake, but it's too much and she needs to let it out.

"How can I not worry?" She begins. "You're my son, you're 19 and you're  _ pregnant _ for Christ sakes!" Her tone is rising, sounding more and more exasperated at every word. "How can you expect me to believe you will be able to do this  _ all  _ on your own when you were irresponsible enough to end up in this situation in the first place! You are kids! Who are going to  _ have  _ to take care of another kid!" Chanyeol opens his mouth, ready to defend him and Baekhyun, but Baekhyun shakes his head and twists his lips into a lopsided smile, he knows his mother is not trying to be hurtful, all she needs to do is get it out of her chest. "I felt so disappointed at first. I thought you knew better, but I guess it is also our fault, for not being there for you more. We didn't…" she makes a short pause to breathe, then continue "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry for everything that has happened lately. I'm sorry for your father and I'm sorry for taking this long to come to terms with… this." Jiahee finishes with a relieved huff, leaning back against the armchair she's sitting in and closing her eyes, trying to calm her beating heart.

"Mom…" Baekhyun calls as he stands up. She opens her eyes to look up at her son and gets on her feet as well. "I love you." 

"Oh, my baby." She chuckles, pulling Baekhyun into her arms in a careful hug. "I love you too." Jiahee rests her cheek on top of her son's head. "Please promise me you will be careful." Her eyes flicker towards Chanyeol as well.

"I promise." Baekhyun mumbles, arms wrapped around his mom's waist.

"Promise me you won't try to do this all on your own. You will call at any time, okay?" Jiahee sniffles.

"Okay." By now, Baekhyun can't help the small tear pouring out of his eyes.

"Okay." Jiahee nods, pulling away and using her thumb to wipe off the wetness on her son's cheekbone. She then looks as Chanyeol, who has gotten to his feet as well. "Come here." She motions with her hands for Chanyeol to approach. He's confused for a moment, but then, Jiahee is reaching for him as well, arms around his back. "I'm trusting you with this." She speaks near Chanyeol's ear. He nods, eyes wide in a bit of a shock at the unexpected affection thrown at him. "Alright then, I'm leaving now." She steps away and grabs her purse from the chair she had been sitting in. Jiahee kisses her son's forehead and smiles at Chanyeol before walking away.

They both stare at the closed door for several minutes, still trying to process everything that was just said. Okay, they have Jiahee's support, which should be a good thing, that's what they have wanted since the beginning, but then again, Baekhyun is absentmindedly scratching the back of his hand with his thumb and biting his lip so hard, the damaged skin is turning white.

"What is it?" Chanyeol asks, taking the hand that has been suffering Baekhyun's scratching softly on his own, soothingly rubbing his thumb over the affected area. 

Only then, Baekhyun seems to remember he's also there and he looks at him with wide eyes, releasing his lips in the process. "I… I'm worried that dad is going to be angry at her too, for coming here." His eyes return to the door. Chanyeol squeezes his hand.

"She'll be fine. You can call her everyday if that makes you feel at peace." Baekhyun nods. "Sungwoo will also be in touch with her."

"Yeah…" The word is a whisper, but it's loud in the silence of the small apartment and Chanyeol can hear the doubt in it.

"Come. Take a shower while I make you something to eat." Chanyeol begins to drag him along to their room. Baekhyun follows without protest.

He opens the stream of water to let the cold flow out, allowing the bathroom to be filled with steam. Meanwhile, he helps Baekhyun undress, carefully, not because he's not able to do it, but because his mind seems to be somewhere else and he doesn't look like he cares about doing it himself.

He leaves Baekhyun in the bathroom with the door open while he moves to the kitchen and starts with something quick and gentle to the stomach for the both of them.

×××

Going back to school is something Baekhyun was  _ definitely _ not looking forward to, and despite being himself, the one telling his mother he was not going to drop college, inevitably the thought crossed his mind more than once during the last week of winter break.

Everyone already knew about his state, about who the father of his baby was and how he  _ had  _ to move out of his parents' house. It wasn't really a secret, because he wasn't trying to hide it and despite of being expecting everything that came with being part of a group of society that didn't care about anyone's feelings but their own called college: the gossiping, the whispering on the hallways as he passes by and the stares boring holes through his back, it didn't make it less uncomfortable. Not having Chanyeol by his side only makes it worse.

He's sulking. Baekhyun knows he's sulking, but he can't help it. He's only through the third period, with five more to go. He's tired, his back hurts and his feet are killing him, swollen to the point of making shoe wearing an impossible task. 

Baekhyun sits down on a bench near his next classroom with a sigh. He retrieves his bottle of water from his bag and chugs down the remaining content in one go, which he knows it's a terrible idea; interrupting a class every 10 minutes or so to go to the bathroom is embarrassing and a hassle. He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes, he's sleepy, his body begging for some rest. Baekhyun knows all he has to do in order to end with his misery is call Chanyeol and ask him to take him home, but he made a promise to his mother and also doesn't want to interrupt Chanyeol's classes; there's no way he'll be a distraction, he has just one more year of college and he'll be done, losing the scholarship before that is not an option. So Baekhyun bites his tongue and takes a deep breath, he can do this. Besides, his belly is not that big yet, he has a lot more of this coming.

"Baekhyun?" He hears the familiar voice while he's standing up with much difficulty, after much inner dwelling with himself on about what to do next. Going to class, that is. "I've been looking for you everywhere." Kyungsoo is approaching him with a worried look on his face. "I also texted you."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Baekhyun pulls his phone out of his bag and there they are, three text notifications from his friend. "Sorry." He repeats. "It only beeps when it's Chanyeol. Or mom." 

Kyungsoo chuckles. "It's fine." He says as he steps closer, opening his arms to envelope Baekhyun on a careful hug. It feels good, Baekhyun thinks, to have someone so familiar near him, so he allows himself to slump against his best friend. Kyungsoo twists a smile, rubbing his hand up and down Baekhyun's back. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." A small smile appears on Baekhyun's face as well. "How was Japan?"

"Beautiful, of course." Kyungsoo pulls away. "I'll tell you everything later. Let's go." He says, grabbing Baekhyun by the hand to take him to class as they see their professor arriving.

By the time classes are finally over, Baekhyun is clinging to Kyungsoo and he's being dragged out of the building. His eyes are closing and his bag feels heavy on his back. Chanyeol is already there, waiting sitting on a bench near the entrance. Alarmed at seeing Baekhyun hanging onto his friend like a rag doll, he rushes towards them, almost tripping on the first step of the stairs. He looks at Kyungsoo with worry printed all over his face.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "He's fine. He's just being dramatic."

"I'm too tired." Baekhyun whines. "And sleepy."

Chanyeol scratches the back of his head, biting his lower lips as he recounts their options. "I can't take you on the bike. Won't risk you falling off of it." He snorts.

"I'll drive him." Kyungsoo offers. "I'll follow you there." 

Chanyeol nods eagerly, taking Baekhyun with him now, Kyungsoo looked like he was about to break in half from the way he was bending to the side to support Baekhyun's weight.

The workshop is quiet today and Chanyeol is grateful for that. In the last few days, Sungwoo's people have been coming and going, speaking about renovations' plans here and there. Dismantling the old structures and taking out the old machinery. His friends have been attending trainings and conferences about the work Sungwoo's company does so they can get familiar with it. And they are being paid for it.

He thanks Kyungsoo and bids goodbye to him before leading a clingy Baekhyun inside and up the apartment, still dragging him to their bed. Chanyeol removes Baekhyun's sweater and shoes, letting him sprawl himself out on the bed. He climbs on top a moment later, after removing his own shoes and jacket, his chest crossed over Baekhyun's thighs and his head resting on the lower side of his belly, lifting the shirt up, eager to feel Baekhyun's warmth against his skin.

"Y'know." Baekhyun speaks first. His hand has moved to Chanyeol's head, where fingers start to thread along silver locks softly. "'m happy assignments were speared for the first day." He mumbles, words coming out like a slur. "I don't have the energy to think anymore."

Chanyeol chuckles. "We will have to get a car. The bike will be dangerous once you get bigger." He places a kiss on the small bump.

Baekhyun lets out a weak scoff. "Are you lowkey calling me fat?" 

"Maybe." Chanyeol teases, earning for himself a small tug on his hair. "Just kidding. But not about the car. We also have to resume our apartment search tomorrow if we want to find something fast. I don't want the noises to be a bother for you."

"Yeah. Okay." Baekhyun says, voice small. He's slowly drifting off to sleep. "It'll be fine. I just need to get used to this more exhaustive routine."

Chanyeol hums, pressing closer to Baekhyun's body and allowing his own body to relax under his boyfriend's ministrations. He's tired too, but until everything is settled, he won't let Baekhyun know.

×××

Searching for a decent apartment turned out to be harder than Baekhyun ever thought. They were too small, too big, no windows,  _ excessive  _ windows, not enough rooms, not enough bathrooms, small kitchen, no open spaces, too far from civilization, too centric… the list of cons was longer than the list of pros and if Baekhyun had to be honest, by that point, he would have preferred to stay at their current one. He was already getting used to it, anyway. But Chanyeol's arguments as to why they needed to leave, were always good and the only one that mattered: their baby.

So walking around with a heavy six month old belly was torture, Baekhyun came to learn and adding to that the pile of assigments he had waiting for him at home everytime they went out, made this whole apartment searching twice as hard, exahusting mentally and physically.

"I think the best option we have is to search for a furnished apartment." Chanyeol says as they enter their home. He's locking the door, while Baekhyun slumps down on the couch with a huff, his back is killing him and he's not really paying attention to whatever Chanyeol is saying. "It would save us a lot of time and troubleㅡ Baek?" He calls when he realizes he's not getting any answers.

"Chan… shut up." Baekhyun grumbles. "I'm tired. I still have to write a paper and all I want to do is sleep." He says, eyes closed and head leaned against the backrest.

"But this is important." Chanyeol approaches the couch, sitting next to him.

"I  _ know.  _ But do I have to remind you of this?" Baekhyun points at his belly.

"What about it?" Chanyeol is frowning and Baekhyun knows even though he's not looking at him.

" _ What about it _ ?" Baekhyun's eyes open in disbelief. "Are you really asking me that?" He's baffled by Chanyeol's words. "Well, you don't have to move around with extra pounds on your body! There's  _ that _ !" Baekhyun exclaims, sitting up straighter. "Your feet and legs are not swollen and about to explode! Your back is not hurting!" His voice is starting to rise. "You're being an inconsiderate asshole!" 

Chanyeol blinks, he opens his mouth to speak, but every word he had in mind get stuck in his throat. Baekhyun has never spoken to him like that. 

"We need to leave this place as soon as possible." Chanyeol adds and soon, he realizes that it was not the smarter thing to say. Baekhyun's jaw is clenching and he's almost  _ growling _ .

"Is that all you care about?" He spits. "I have enough with having to walk around campus half of the day. At the end, all I want is rest and I can't have it because I have a lot more things to do and think about! I'm heavy!" Baekhyun stands up, but not with a little difficulty. "But what would you know?!" He screams as he turns around and heads to the bedroom. 

Baekhyun slams the door shut and Chanyeol flinches. Yeah, maybe he was being an inconsiderate asshole.

With a deep sigh and after a considerate amount of minutes laterㅡ considerate enough for Baekhyun to cool down a little, Chanyeol gets on his feet and follows the short and narrow hallway towards their room; his hand stops midway in the air as he was about to knock, when the door opens to show a teary eyed Baekhyun, pouting.

"I'm sorry." They blurt out at the same time. Chanyeol chuckles, Baekhyun looks down, embarrassed.

"What are you sorry for?" Chanyeol asks, quirking an eyebrow as he takes a step closer. 

"For snapping at you. I shouldn't have done that." Baekhyun shifts his weight from leg to leg as he uncomfortably stands by the door, his feet feel like he's been walking for days to no end.

"You don't have to be sorry for that. You were right, I was being inconsiderate." Chanyeol bites his lower lip, quick to notice the awkwardness in which Baekhyun stands in front of him. "Come." He takes him by the hand and makes him lie on the bed.

Curious eyes follow Chanyeol's every movement around the room while the older removes his clothes and changes into something more comfortable to wear for bed; then he goes out of the room and comes back with a small bottle of what Baekhyun recognizes as the almond oil he bought to rub on his belly as per his mother's recommendation and which he hadn't even have the time to do yet. 

Chanyeol climbs on the bed and sits right where his feet end, opens the lid of the bottle and pours a generous amount onto his hand.

"What are you doing?" Baekhyun asks, a confused frown on his face.

"Ah, I read somewhere that massages are good for pregnant people with swollen limbs." Chanyeol replies, he rubs his hands to warm them up and then grabs one of Baekhyun's feet.

It's weird at first, with Baekhyun not being used to this type of attention and he thinks once or twice about pulling his legs away, he has to admit to himself that is a bit embarrassing. He's a 19 year old boy, he's not supposed to be going through this yet.

He closes his eyes and lets his head fall onto the pillow with a groan, although he's not sure if it's because he's awkward or because Chanyeol's hands rubbing and kneading his sore legs and feet feel  _ too  _ good.

"I think we should ask your mother for help." Chanyeol speaks after several minutes of silence. Baekhyun hums, his body has relaxed enough to not care anymore about the weirdness of this whole current situation and allows himself to get lost in the sensations Chanyeol's hands so dutifully ministrate. Since when is Chanyeol so good with his hands and why is he finding out just now? "Baek, are you with me?"

"Mmm' _ es _ ." Baekhyun mumbles. "That feels good."

Chanyeol grins up at him and continues with his task, now aware of the effects of his massage. His eyes move from his boyfriend's peaceful face and further down his body, he stops right on his lower half, lifting an amused eyebrow at the tent displaying on Baekhyun's pants. Did he get hard without noticing? Chanyeol chuckles, now  _ that  _ is a sight.

An idea pops into Chanyeol's head. He stops his massage to pour more oil on his hands and drags himself up the bed. "Don't open your eyes." He tells Baekhyun when he sees his eyelids trembling a little, Baekhyun obeys. Chanyeol situates himself on Baekhyun's side, his chest glued to the other's arm. He presses his lips against Baekhyun's ear and whispers. "Keep them close. And don't move." The deep voice sends shivers down Baekhyun's spine and his head moves on a shaky nod.

A moment later, Baekhyun feels Chanyeol's warm hand pressing on the lower part of his belly; he lets out a small moan at the sudden sensation, his skin is sensitive and so are his hormones. He wants to open his eyes and see what it is that Chanyeol is planning, but he also wants to be a good boy and let his fiancé do whatever he wants. The hand starts to move, up and down his belly, gently massaging and kneading on the softest parts; Baekhyun's toes curl in satisfaction and he squirms a little, heat is pooling on his lower region and it shouldn't be exciting, it's just an innocent massage, just to help him relax and make him feel better. Baekhyun shouldn't be wanting that hand around  _ something  _ else and he can't help it anymore, with the way Chanyeol's fingers trace long lines across his skin, stopping on the side of his belly to dig his fingers softly. He's about to open his eyes and beg whenㅡ

" _ Oh _ ." Baekhyun gasps and trembles.

"I said. Don't move." Chanyeol speaks on his ears; the hand around his dick tugs and Baekhyun whimpers.

"Chan…" Baekhyun breathes. It's really hard to think with a hard, aching dick and that hand not doing anything to relieve it. Yet.

Chanyeol starts moving his hand, up and down, twisting and squeezing until Baekhyun is shaking and spilling on his hand. 

Baekhyun swallows, unable to think clearly as he lies there, boneless and sweaty, but strangely satisfied and relaxed. His body feels like jelly and he misses the moment when Chanyeol moves to grab tissues from the small bedside table to clean him up.

He rolls his head to the side to look at his boyfriend, lazy smile and sleepy eyes. Baekhyun bites his lower lip at the sight of Chanyeol's flushed cheeks, moving a hand up to trace the shape of those lips he loves kissing so much with his fingers.

"How do you feel?" Chanyeol asks, trapping Baekhyun's hand and then kissing each digit.

Baekhyun hums. "Better. Do you want me toㅡ" He looks down at Chanyeol's lower region, his eyes catching the prominent bulge in his pants.

Chanyeol shakes his head, smiling. "I'm fine. Sleep."

"Butㅡ" Baekhyun tries to protest, but gets silenced by a pair of lips pressed against his own. 

"Sleep." Chanyeol repeats. "I'll call your mom."

Baekhyun nods, letting out a small sigh as he rolls onto his side and Chanyeol pulls the blankets up to his shoulders. He kisses the back of his head before getting up from the bed and out of the room. Baekhyun manages to hear Chanyeol's voice calling his mother's name before falling asleep.

And that's how just a few days later, they find themselves standing in the middle of a spacious living room of a fully furnished apartment, decorated in shades of white, browns and beiges.  _ Pretty _ , had been Baekhyun's first thought. With two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a beautiful kitchen and a bathtub.  _ God, a bathtub.  _ Baekhyun would be lying if he said he hadn't been craving for a hot bath, but that was something he would never tell Chanyeol, he is  _ not  _ that superficial. But now, the sole idea of the possibility, makes him crave it even more.

"I don't know…" Baekhyun says instead, turning to look at his fiancé, who has been unusually quiet since they entered the place. "Can we afford it?" 

It takes a moment for Chanyeol to register that the question has been directed at him. He's been doing the math in his head the moment the landlady told them the cost of the monthly rent; the fees were not precisely high, they  _ could _ afford it, but it still was a considerate amount of money. Chanyeol could have just said no and walk away with no problems at all, but he hadn't missed the way Baekhyun's shone when they stepped inside. 

Baekhyun likes the place, but Chanyeol knows him enough to know he's never going to say it out loud. For Chanyeol's sake more than his own.

"Do we need to leave a deposit?" Chanyeol asks the woman who's still patiently waiting. Her face lights.

"Really?" Baekhyun looks at him with wide eyes.

Chanyeol nods. "You like it, don't you?" His tone is teasing and Baekhyun feels his cheeks and ears heating up at being caught. Damn Chanyeol and his exceptional skill of reading his thoughts and expressions, no matter how subtle they were.

"Iㅡ y-yes, butㅡ" Baekhyun stutters "we can find something else. It's notㅡ"

Chanyeol grabs his hands and squeezes them together between his own. "What matters is that you're comfortable. Besides, your mother did a great job finding something that's near to our campus. There's also a supermarket three blocks down the street. I think we won't find anything better than this." 

At that, Baekhyun nods, still a little hesitant. He smiles nonetheless, when Chanyeol brings his hands up to his lips and kisses his knuckles softly.

While Chanyeol speaks to the woman, explaining some rules, schedules for the building's maintenance staff, Baekhyun sits on the beige couch, running his hands over the soft fabric. He lets out a sigh, he can get used to this.

×××

It's a fifteen minutes walk from the university to their new apartment's building and a five minutes walk to the supermarket from there, Baekhyun re-calculates; he could pass by their apartment to leave his bag and then head there to buy a few things that are missing in their pantry. Maybe chocolate ice cream, lots of it. With Kyungsoo busy with exams and Chanyeol going crazy with final projects, the last thing he wants is to be a bother, besides, he needs to stretch his legs and allow his blood to circulate freely through his veins. Baekhyun is heavy and it makes everything a lot tiring, but he's sure a little walk will do no harm.

It's been three weeks since they moved into their new apartment, the same three weeks Baekhyun has been trying to get used to the new place; it was spacious, but too quiet for his liking. He had to admit he missed the old place, it was small, but cozy and Baekhyun had managed to make it feel like home. The second bedroom had become the nursery, filled with everything his mother had bought for his baby at the beginning, despite of Baekhyun's insistence that it wasn't necessary. His father, on the other hand, was still not talking to him. Resigned, Baekhyun stopped trying to talk to him, his father was stubborn and no matter what Baekhyun tried, the man would just brush Baekhyun's attempts off; it was tiring, Baekhyun was tired, but at least, he still had his mother by his side.

With a heavy sigh, Baekhyun leans back against the wall, he has a class in five minutes and trying to get from one classroom to another is turning into an almost impossible task. He closes his eyes, trying to ignore the pitiful looks his schoolmates throw at him; Baekhyun is aware that he hasn't been the same ever since he found out it was pregnant, his grades are not perfect anymore and from not missing a single class in his entire life, he started having to give off permissions signed by his mother so he could attend his doctor appointments or to simply miss class for not feeling well enough to attend. Well, maybe once his baby is born, things will go back to normal… he hopes.

Baekhyun watches as his teacher enters the classroom, so with a little bit of effort he stands straight, but as soon as his body moves, a dull pain grows on his lower stomach. He grunts, pressing his hand on the affected area, it's probably just another false contraction; he's been having those lately, scaring the shit out of him and Chanyeol. Baekhyun ignores the sensation growing on his body and makes his way to the classroom. He doesn't make it pass the door, the pain intesifies and Baekhyun slumps against the frame, groaning loudly this time and catching everyone's attention.

"Mr. Byun, are you okay?" The teacher asks as he rushes to his side, placing his hands on his arms to help him stand.

"Iㅡ" The whine that abandons his mouth is pathetic and amidst the pain, Baekhyun manages to look at his classmates, some are looking at him with concern all over their faces, some others look scared, while the rest have blank expressions on their faces, probably wondering just  _ what the hell is going on _ . "It hurts… a lot." Baekhyun's voice is strained and he has to bend over in order to make it more bearable.

"Okay, okay." The teacher nods, not quite knowing what to do himself. "Um…"

"Sir," one of the girls from his class speaks, approaching them "I think… he's going into labor." She mumbles, placing her hand on Baekhyun's back to steady him. Baekhyun grunts, clutching at the front of his shirt.

"Labor?" The teacher frowns, confused for a moment. "Oh! Labor! Yes! Yes, of course!" Baekhyun looks at the man, incredulous. "You" he points to the same girl "help me take him to the infirmary."

The infirmary? Really? Baekhyun wants to yell at them to take him to a hospital instead,  _ now, _ call an ambulance or whatever… there's no way he'll be having this baby in school; but as Baekhyun opens his mouth, all that comes out are cries of pain.

Not having enough strength to stop them or even speak, Baekhyun lets them drag him to the infirmary, where the nurse looks at them the same way Baekhyun did earlier. She moves faster, using the infirmary's phone to call an ambulance while the other two help him get on the bed. A few minutes later Kyungsoo rushes inside, panicking and tripping over his own feet.

"How did youㅡ"

"Gossip runs fast here. Damn it Baek." Kyungsoo is frowning while he holds his hand.

"Chanyeol. You have to call Chanyeol." Baekhyun breathes out. He's panting, squeezing Kyungsoo's hand so tight it might just break.

"I've been trying to reach him the moment they told me what was going. He's not picking up." Baekhyun opens his mouth to speak, but instead he screams, pain shooting up his spine. 

"My… my mom."

"I called her too, she'll meet us at the hospital." 

Baekhyun nods, right when a group of three paramedics enter the room, pushing along with them a bed. Carefully, they lift his pained body and put him back down again. 

"Chanyeol." Baekhyun, who hasn't been able to let go of Kyungsoo's hand, mumbles. Kyungsoo nods while trying to maneuver his phone on his other hand. 

Chanyeol is still not picking up.

Kyungsoo is going to kill him. 

Baekhyun is pushed into the ambulance, Kyungsoo climbing up with him trying to not let go of his hand. Small whimpers leave Baekhyun's mouth as the paramedic teams get to work, strapping him correctly and making sure his heart rate is normal while the ambulance gets on its way.

"I want Chanyeol." Baekhyun is gasping, the hold around Kyungsoo's hand going insanely tight. Kyungsoo feels like crying, out of pain and fear because he has no idea on what to do or say. Chanyeol didn't pick up and this is the first time he has to go through a situation like this one. Least he thought it would be with his best friend.

"I'm sorry, he's…" Kyungsoo bites his lower lip, the last thing he wants is to give Baekhyun any more extra stress "I texted your mom. She'll bring him to the hospital." Baekhyun seems content with that; he looks away and closes his eyes, the hold around his hand loosens a little.

By the time they reach the hospital, Baekhyun has to be rushed in the operation room, he can't wait any longer and Chanyeol is nowhere to be seen. Baekhyun tries to think about nice things, like the first time they heard their baby's heartbeat or the thrill of  _ almost  _ finding out the gender and deciding to best leave it as a surprise, per Baekhyun's request, although he's pretty sure Chanyeol did pick in the envelope and he  _ knows  _ what their baby is. Baekhyun remembers that time Chanyeol arrived home and found him fixing the coffee-maker he had accidentally broken, Chanyeol reassured him it was okay and that they could just by another one, then proceeded to kiss him breathless and maybe something more because yeah, Smart Baekhyun was a whole kink.

Chanyeol has been with him every step of the way, taking care of him, spoiling him, making sure he has everything he needs and yet… he's not there when Baekhyun needs him the most. But there's no way he would ditch him now, is there? After everything they've been through? No, no… Chanyeol loves him, he will be here soon.

Baekhyun breathes, closing his eyes, trying to distract himself from the fact that he's about to be seen naked by a bunch of strangers. Doctors and nurses move around the stretcher he's laid on, speaking and getting instruments ready to start with the procedure. A woman comes into his field of vision, a nurse, he presumes; she's smiling warmly, using her free hand to remove some of his wilder locks of hair out of his face.

"We are going to get you to sleep now, darling. I need you to count backwards from one hundred." She indicates, but Baekhyun is in pain and his brain can't properly think about how to start, so it takes him to the next thing he knows and before he can even realize what he's doing he's reciting the Fibonacci series in his head. The nurse places the mask over his nose and mouth and soon enough, Baekhyun is falling asleep.

Kyungsoo paces around the waiting area, his heart beating on his throat. His hands are sweating and he feels kind of dizzy, there's still no answer from Chanyeol and he's starting to think about all the possible ways to make him suffer a very painful death and then, never let him see his child, ever. What is he going to tell Baekhyun?  _ How _ is he going to tell him thatㅡ

"Kyungsoo!" Kyungsoo turns around to see Chanyeol rushing in, closely followed by a very worried looking Mrs. Byun. Chanyeol comes to a stop in front of him, panting as he bends over to try and catch his breath. Kyungsoo notices the formal attire, shiny dress shoes, black slacks and white dress shirt; his hair is styled in a way he never thought he would see on Chanyeol. Kyungsoo quirks an eyebrow.

"Where the fuck were you?" Kyungsoo speaks through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaims. "I was in the middle of a presentation. My phone was in my bag. Mrs. Byun picked me up." 

Well, that explains the outfit, at least it was a good reason.

"Was he okay?" Jiahee steps forward, her hands tightly clasped around one another. Her face is strained with worry.

Kyungsoo nods. "Just in pain. We just have to… wait, now."

Chanyeol and Jiahee remain standing there, Kyungsoo has to look away feeling a little distressed. The couches of the waiting area are right there, but none of them seem to be on their right mind to actually sit down.

An hour and a half passes by, by then, Chanyeol has messed up his hair and untucked his shirt; he looks at the time on his phone every now and then while Jiahee repeats to him that everything's going to go well. 

It's just fifteen minutes later that a nurse comes out of the operation room, wearing a soft smile on her face.

"Baekhyun's family?" She asks and the three of them perk up, surrounding her immediately. She giggles before continuing. "Congratulations, you now have a healthy baby girl."

Finally, Chanyeol releases the breath he had been holding and allows his shoulders to deflate while Jiahee lets out a sigh of relief.

"Can we see them?" Chanyeol asks.

"Well, Baekhyun is still asleep, but I can take you to see your baby." The nurse tells Chanyeol, who nods frenetically at the suggestion.

They follow her through the hallways until they reach another area of the hospital; the walls are white, decorated with murals of blue skies, fluffy clouds, rainbows and ducklings.  _ Neonatal area  _ it's read above the glass window that stretches along a wall, to give view to another room, where three rows of small cribs are lined up. Some of them are occupied, some are empty, but Chanyeol doesn't have the capacity to look around as his eyes zeroed in on the small bundle right in the middle, it's the only pink blanket, among a few blues and soft yellows.

"Is that her?" He points at the baby, just because he needs to ask, but it is her, it has to be her, the erratic beating of his heart tells him. The nurse nods, that small smile never leaving her face. She's sleeping, looking so peaceful and soft; a single tear rolls down Chanyeol's cheek. "She's so tiny." He mumbles, taking a step closer, until his face is pressed against the glass.

"Would you like to go in?" The nurse asks. Chanyeol, not ready for the question, just stares.

"Canㅡ can I?" He looks at Jiahee, eyes wide.  _ Am I really allowed?  _

"Of course!" Answers the nurse. "Although, for now, only the father is allowed."

Chanyeol keeps looking at Jiahee; the woman, understanding his insecurity, places her hand on his shoulder and squeezes softly. 

"It's  _ your  _ daughter, dear. Of course you can. We can meet her later." 

Chanyeol nods and after hesitating for another second, he follows the nurse inside the room. It's warm and it smells like honey and baby powder; the lights are dimmer and the only sound is the buzz of a lullaby coming from somewhere; the music is low, soothing. Chanyeol blinks away his tears while the nurse carefully picks his baby up and offers him to hold her.

"Ah," he panics, shaking his head as he tries to step back. He doesn't know who to hold a baby and the last thing he wants is to hurt her, "I've neverㅡ"

"I'll teach you, then." Her smile is kind. "Put your arms just like mine." She indicates and Chanyeol does. The woman moves closer to him and carefully starts to pass the baby from her arms to his. Chanyeol stiffens. "Relax." She chuckles. "Alright, just like that. Now, secure your arm around her" she fixes his arm up a little, so it's lined up with her leg and slightly under her butt "and support her head with your elbow at all times." Happy with the results, the nurse grins while she fixes the pink blanket a little. The baby squirms, opening her tiny mouth on what Chanyeol thinks is a yawn, then she settles back in, turning her head slightly towards his chest. "You can rock her to keep her calm." Chanyeol nods and does as suggested. It's a moment later that he hears a small beep coming from the nurse's pocket. "Oh, Baekhyun is waking up. Shall we go see him?"

Without waiting for an answer, she takes the small crib where his baby had been previously and pushes it out of the room, allowing Chanyeol to carry her to Baekhyun. Only when they come out, Chanyeol notices that Jiahee and Kyungsoo are nowhere to be seen.

It's fucking terrifying, Chanyeol discovers, to walk around the hospital's halls carrying a new born baby…  _ his  _ newborn baby. He's afraid he'll trip and drop her, but the baby isn't even moving, sleeping so peaceful Chanyeol wonders if she's even breathing. He has to check constantly just to calm his heart.

Baekhyun's room is a private one, as Jiahee made sure it would be. It's spacious, natural light coming through the white curtains covering the french doors that lead to a small terrace; it has an indoor bathroom, a two couch lounge and larger one meant to serve as a bed for long-stay company for patients. Next to Baekhyun's bed, there's the little white crib they bought for this moment, all fixed up with white and soft yellow blankets. A little light brown teddy bear rests on one side, Chanyeol remembers it being a gift from Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun has his eyes barely open, but he's looking at them, a small weak smile curved on his lips.

"It's a baby girl." Chanyeol announces.

"Let me see her." His voice is hoarse and deep, but still Chanyeol approaches the bed with their baby in his arms. The nurse, leaving the strolling crib by the door, approaches the bed and presses a button; half of it starts lifting up, bringing Baekhyun into a sitting position, being careful to not hurt him and comfortable enough. The nurse helps him settle, before saying she'll come back later and finally leaving them alone.

"I was so scared to hurt her." Chanyeol mumbles as he carefully sits on the space next to Baekhyun. "But it feels so nice. She's so warm and soft, Baek. She's so amazing!" He whispers slash exclaims, leaning back so Baekhyun can see her.

"I want to hold her."

"Oh." Chanyeol purses his lips. "I don't want to hurt you, I should call the nurse toㅡ"

"It's fine, Chan. I can do it." Baekhyun stretches his arms and Chanyeol maneuvers the baby on his to pass it to Baekhyun, who shifts and squirms until they are settle into a comfortable position, with his baby resting over his chest. "She  _ is  _ amazing. So beautiful." Baekhyun mumbles.

"She has your nose." Chanyeol says, as he passes his arm around Baekhyun's shoulders and leans his head against Baekhyun's. "Baek…" He says a minute later "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you, I hadㅡ"

"I know, I know. Your presentation. I forgot about it, you know… the pain and all that." Baekhyun says, eyes fixed on his baby. "It's okay, you're here now."

"Always." Chanyeol kisses the side of Baekhyun's head.

They stare. They can't do anything else but stare at their baby; she's not doing anything, just sleeping and yet, it's the most amazing and beautiful thing they have ever seen. Chanyeol feels his heart swell with every tiny little noise that comes out of her and Baekhyun is sure he'll never be able to love someone as much as he loves her, besides Chanyeol, of course.

It's so peaceful for a couple of hours, the position Chanyeol is in starts to feel uncomfortable, but he doesn't want to move, until the baby begins to squirm, whine and then  _ cry _ . Baekhyun panics a little, did he hurt her? But he's not even moving, what is going on? His questions are being answered when the door opens and the same nurse from before walks in, bringing with her a small bottle with formula and a pastel pink towel.

"It's time for her to eat. Would you like me to fix your pillows?"

Baekhyun nods. "Please." 

Chanyeol removes himself from the bed, letting the nurse move around Baekhyun. Soon, their daughter is sucking hungrily on the bottle held by Baekhyun.

"I'll be coming every two and a half hours with her bottles so you can feed her. Tomorrow, we'll give her her first bath."

"Okay." Baekhyun says, too busy being hypnotized by the way she sucks and gurgles.

"Thank you." Chanyeol nods at her instead.

The nurse leaves with a smile and Chanyeol approaches again, pulling out his phone and making sure the flash is turned off before snapping a picture. He sits next to Baekhyun again and goes back to his task of staring.

"So… names. We haven't decided yet." Chanyeol speaks lowly, using his index finger to pull the blanket down a little to stop it from getting too wet with the milk his baby is dropping.

"I was thinking… Sunhee." Baekhyun replies.

"Sunhee?" A wide smile spreads on Chanyeol's lips.

"I thought our moms would like it."

"Sunhee." Chanyeol repeats, testing the name on his mouth. A combination of Sunjin and Jiahee, their mothers' names. Perfect. "I love it.

The smile Baekhyun gives him is blinding and all Chanyeol can do is lean in and kiss him.

The next day is less quiet, flowers, balloons, cards, chocolates and teddy bears occupy one side of the room, the largest one being a huge brown bear with a pastel purple bow around its neck Sungwoo brought in with Sunhee's name on its right paw. Chanyeol's friends had sent flowers and cards, their classmates and friends from school chocolates and balloons. Baekhyun's parents' friends and Baekhyun's extended family had sent gifts as well, hoping to meet the new member of the Byun family very soon.

Jiahee had been thrilled, has cried for an hour while holding her granddaughter and when Baekhyun had asked about his father, she had only shaken her head and smiled sadly. Baekhyun had sighed, already convinced that his relationship with his father was never going to be the same again.

Junmyeon had passed by to say hello and bring more gifts. Baekhyun had no idea of how excited everyone had been about his baby, all this time, it had only been him and Chanyeol, his mother and Kyungsoo.

By noon, the nurse that had been helping him care for Sunhee, came by, bringing with her everything they would need to give the girl her first bath. Sadly for Baekhyun, he was still not allowed to be out of bed and had to conform himself with listening to his mother giving instructions to Chanyeol on how to hold her, how to wash her head, how wash her private parts properly, all under the close inspection of the nurse and with Kyungsoo snapping picture after picture to show him later. Ah, he would give anything to see his fiancé taking care of their girl.

"She's going to be our little princess." Sungwoo had said that evening. After coming back from work with yet  _ more  _ gifts. "I'm gonna make sure to spoil her a lot."

"Oh no." Baekhyun had shaken his head. "I don't want a bratty daughter."

"Too bad for you." Sungwoo had kissed his forehead and left before Baekhyun could even think about complaining.

A week later, they were going back home. Paperwork had been resolved for the university to provide online classes for them for what was left of the semester. Fortunately, summer vacations were right ahead and they would be able to spend three and a half months with their daughter without interruptions.

And Jiahee, being the worrisome mother she is, decided to spend two weeks with them, taking care of Baekhyun during his recovery.

It's past three in the morning on a Thursday, marking exactly one month since they had brought Sunhee home, that her loud cries woke them up for the nth time that night. 

Baekhyun whines, stirring on his place to remove the blankets and tend to his daughter, when a hand stops him.

"My turn. Sleep." Chanyeol's sleepy voice tells him. Grateful and without protesting, Baekhyun slumps down again; Chanyeol kisses his head before getting up and heads to the nursery room, where Sunhee is still crying. "I'm here baby, daddy is here." Chanyeol picks her up only to notice her dirty diaper.

If Chanyeol had to be honest, he would say that changing diapers was the hardest part of being a parent. He never thought he would be cleaning someone else's ass. But Jiahee had been kind and  _ patient  _ enough to teach them how to do it properly. Chanyeol may or may have not puked once or twice. Maybe thrice.

"There you go, sunshine." Chanyeol mumbles, fixing the blankets around her. Sunhee squirms around before settling again, closing her eyes and yawning cutely. "You truly are a little copy of Baekhyunee, aren't you? You're so cute." He chuckles. "And I love you so much. You are the best that could have happened to us." Chanyeol is smiling, he is aware of that, as he softly brushes his finger over his daughter's chubby cheek. "I can't wait for you to grow up. Your wish will be my command, my little princess. Sweet dreams, Sunny." 

Baekhyun, who had been peeking and listening to his fiancé's one sided conversation with tears in his eyes, after deciding to get up as well just in case Chanyeol needed help, rushes back to their bedroom as fast as his almost healed wound allows him to. He gets under the covers and a minute later, he feels Chanyeol's weight on their bed, rustling and struggling with the blankets as he gets comfortable.

Baekhyun scoots closer, pressing his back against Chanyeol, who doesn't even hesitate to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him closer. Baekhyun lets out a silent sigh, a smile curving up his lips.

He's ready for whatever life throws at him, as long as he has Chanyeol and their baby girl next to him.

  
  



End file.
